[VIDEO] Breaking Down the Issues: why do men die so much younger than women?

KUALA LUMPUR – The male-female lifespan gap is a well-known fact, as women outlive men by five to seven years the world over. 

Why this occurs is largely unknown, though scientists have assigned this partly to the longer telomere women are born with, which is vital for healthy longevity, and the cardio-protective nature of estrogen, whilst high levels of testosterone are linked to prostate cancer. 

Besides the biological factors, in Malaysia men compared to women are:

• 50% more likely to drop out of school
• 40% less likely to enrol for tertiary education
• Nine times more likely to join gangs
• 30 to 40 times more likely to be tobacco smokers
• More likely to be binge drinkers
• 22 times more likely to be a drug addict, and end up in prison
• Twice more likely to commit suicide

Whilst these are some of the metrics where men fare worse than women, there are far more societal and developmental issues that are unaccounted for amplified by today’s changing society. 

And even as people talk about change, many Asian families continue to hold on to the logic of traditional patriarchy, boxing some into rigid confines unable to show vulnerability, unable to ask for help, and statistically less likely to go to the doctors for regular check-ups. 

In this month of November, Breaking Down the Issues features Professor Dr Ng Chirk Jenn from Universiti Malaya on his work on screening men in Malaysia and developing a Men’s Health Index. 

We explore gender scripts and societal norms and examine how men can live healthier, happier lives. 

This project is brought to you by advocacy and research group Sekhar Institute, together with the Good Capitalism Forum, which promotes social capitalism and Malaysia’s fastest growing news portal The Vibes. – The Vibes, November 24, 2021