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Why do women live longer than men?
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Men engage in more reckless behavior

Men more often engage in reckless behavior that can increase their risk of injury or death.

The Argument

Men are socialized to engage in more risky behaviors over the course of their lifetimes. For example, 75% of the accidental deaths at the Grand Canyon (from falling or various other accidents) are men. Men are more likely to engage in brawls, fights, dangerous driving[1], and a variety of other risky and dangerous behaviors. Unintentional injuries are the third leading cause of death in men[2], so it's no surprise that, generally speaking, they tend to die sooner or at a younger age than women. This could be due to certain biological factors. Some studies suggest that the parts of the brain responsible for risk calculation develop more slowly in males than in females. This could be the reason why your average man is more likely to engage in risky behavior that your average woman would not.

Counter arguments

To argue that men have more slowly developed brains than women is absolutely sexist. Unintentional injury is the 6th leading cause for women in the United States, so to suggest that women do not engage in risky behavior as men do is clearly false.[3]

Proponents

Premises

Rejecting the premises

References

  1. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/04/200406190421.htm
  2. https://www.cdc.gov/healthequity/lcod/index.htm
  3. https://www.cdc.gov/women/lcod/2017/all-races-origins/index.htm
This page was last edited on Thursday, 12 Nov 2020 at 21:00 UTC

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