Page 25 - IJPS-7-2

International Journal of
Population Studies Gender gap in life expectancy in South and East Europe

specific preferences for unhealthy consumption, their mortality rates, emphasizing that males tend to engage in
experiments suggested that up to 88% of the gender gap more dangerous, harmful, stressful, or difficult occupations
could be due to gender-specific preferences. According to than females (Gjonça et al., 1999). These attitudes based on
Fedotenkov and Derkachev (2020), the education factor, socioeconomic differences and socio-occupational factors
for example, female enrollment in secondary school has may explain some of the variation in LEAB between the
less important effect on the gender gap in longevity in two sexes. While some of these studies have shown that
developed countries, since all girls there have the right to females’ participation in the workforce positively affects
secondary education. their health and mortality, some other studies have found
The prior research also focuses on other economic- that work-family antagonism can lead to increase stress and
related indicators. The positive correlation between LEAB mortality (Medalia & Chang, 2011). Finally, Fedotenkov
and income is one of the most primary relationships in and Derkachev (2020) revealed that the greater difference
the areas of population health and development (Bloom between female and male aggregate unemployment rates
& Canning, 2006). Bloom and Canning (2006) mentioned increases the female advantage in LEAB.
a strong positive relationship between levels of national The gender gap may differ in different demographic
income and LEAB in poorer countries, although the transition stages. As mentioned earlier, females’ more
relationship is non-linear in wealthier countries as the favorable position LEAB was first observed in developed
levels of LEAB are less responsive to variations in average countries in the history, but it has been a universal
income. However, these scholars also observed that LEAB phenomenon since the 21 century (Barford et al., 2006;
st
is increasing over time at all income levels. No matter Schünemann et al., 2016; United Nations, 2022a). The
how, when the economy grows, the difference between rapid improvement of LEAB in the developed world was
males’ and females’ incomes decline, lessening the accompanied by a widening of the gap between male and
differences in time and health goods allocations between female survival and this widening of sex difference was
the genders (Fedotenkov & Derkachev, 2020) and this mainly due to the higher rate of improvement for females
leads to a narrowing gender gap in LEAB. Furthermore, rather than to a decrease in LEAB for males (Gjonça et al.,
Fedotenkov and Derkachev (2020) also emphasize that 1999). All these likely suggest that gender gap may vary in
income inequality is one of the factors affecting LEAB. different demographic transition stages.
Thus, the relative-income hypothesis posits that the gender
gap in LEAB may also depend on income distribution. 2. Data and methods
Fedotenkov and Derkachev (2020) tested this hypothesis 2.1. Data sources and measurements
and confirmed that higher income inequality increases the
gender gap in LEAB at the national level. Data were used from the following sources: World Bank
Development Indicators (World Bank, 2022), National
Differential health behaviors from involvement in System Accounts from the United Nations Statistics
dangerous occupational and vocational activities are Division (UN, 2022b), the World Population Prospects
the obvious explanations for at least some of the gender (WPP) 2022 from the United Nations, Population Division
differences in mortality now and historically (Cullen (UN, 2022a), World Health Organization (WHO, 2022a;
et al., 2015; Schumacher & Vilpert, 2011). The increase in 2022b), and from Our World in Data platform (OWiD,
mortality among working-age males was first detected in 2022). The focus of this research was on South and East
Hungary, but it quickly became clear that it was a more European countries. The period examined is 1991 – 2020
general trend shared by many countries of the former (inclusive); and the data represent an unbalanced panel.
Soviet Union and some other countries in Central and East
Europe (Botev, 2012). In the opinion of Botev (2012), this is Aggregate annual data about the LEAB by sex have
probably the first case of a sustained and significant increase been obtained from the country-specific life tables in
in mortality in the history of the world population that is WPP 2022. The annual aggregate data on GDP per capita
not associated with a serious epidemic or war. According to in constant prices – 2015 US Dollars and for annual GDP
Fedotenkov and Derkachev (2020), it is also widely accepted growth rate have been acquired from the United Nations
that the most dangerous and demanding work is usually Statistics Division. In addition, the yearly aggregate data
performed by males, which means that males are at greater about employment rate in total population 15+ by sex,
risk of environmental- and pollution-related hazards than unemployment rate by sex as percentage of total labor force,
females. Moreover, these scholars emphasized that males the percentage of urban population in total population, as
are more often faced with unhealthy working conditions well as percentage share of the completion of the secondary
than females. Other studies also suggested that the different education by females among school-age population aged
social roles of the two sexes influence their respective 15 – 18 were retrieved from the World Bank Open database

Volume 7 Issue 2 (2021) 19 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.v7i2.389