Page 30 - IJPS-7-2

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

internal dissimilarities: In most of the South European same period, differences were over 7 years. If these levels of
countries, there has been a reduction in male’s excess LEAB in Italy and Spain from 1995 to 1997 are compared
mortality since the mid-1990 except for Portugal where with the levels of LEAB in Russia and Moldova from 1995
the reduction occurred only after 2000. By contrast, a to 1997, then, the differences are higher for more than
stabilizing gender gap in life expectancy has been observed 12 years. In this period, a high gender difference in LEAB
in South European countries such as Croatia, Macedonia, was recorded in some countries. For instance, sex difference
and Greece. In Romania, males lost exactly 1 year in LEAB in LEAB was over 20 years in 1992 – 1993 in Bosnia and
between 1991 and 1996, the deterioration can be related Herzegovina, over 12 years for Russia during 1992 – 2001,
to the economic and social problems with which this over 10 years in 1991 for Croatia and Montenegro, in
country was, and the same can be noticed for Bulgaria as Ukraine (1991 – 2001), Belarus (1993 – 2001), and over
well (1.1 years). The greatest loss among males is observed 9 years in 1992 – 1993 in Hungary and Poland.
in Russia and Moldova (2.8 years), Ukraine (2.4 years), The gender gap in LEAB during the period 2002 – 2020
and Belarus (1.7 years) for the same period 1991 – 1996. (with the exception of 2020 because of the COVID-19
In contrast, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Türkiye gained pandemic) was somewhat different from the previous
about 2 years, that is, 2.0 and 2.3 years, respectively, periods. The highest LEAB in our study group was found
in males’ LEAB between 1991 and 1996. In the period in the southern countries. Italy had the highest males’
1991 – 2001, LEAB in South and East European countries LEAB in 2019 (81.4 years) followed by Malta (81.0 years)
plus Türkiye improved from year to year, with average and Spain (80.8 years). The level of males’ LEAB was
0.32 years for males and 0.36 for females annually. comparable to that of some West and/or North European
While the stagnation was found in the early 1990s for countries, such as Norway and Sweden and Switzerland
most countries in the region, the stagnation was found (United Nations, 2022a). In addition, females’ LEAB
in the entire decades (1991 – 2001) in several countries in 2019 in Slovenia and Greece (84.2 and 83.9 years,
with the most noticeable in Bulgaria (0.06 years) annually, respectively) was the same as that in Austria, and also
followed by Romania (0.13 years), Macedonia (0.13 years), females’ LEAB in Italy (85.6 years) was exactly the same as
Greece (0.14 years), and Serbia (0.15 years). In the period that of France in 2019 (United Nations, 2022a). However,
1991 – 2001, four East European countries saw an annual within the group of South and East European countries,
decrease in LEAB, and an annual average of 0.23 years for disparity in LEAB is large. For example, LEAB for both
Russia, 0.07 years in Ukraine, 0.05 years in Belarus, and sexes combined, Bulgaria and Romania were about 8 and
about 0.01 year in Moldova. Montenegro even experienced 7 years lower from that for Italy and Spain, which were
a sharp decline of 3 years in LEAB in 1991 – 2001 for both (83.5 years for both countries) in 2019. When Italy’s
sexes. The largest annual decline among males for this period LEAB for both sexes in 2019 is compared with the LEAB
(1991 – 2001) was observed in Russia (0.33 years) followed in Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine, it is higher for more than
by annual decline of 0.14 years in Belarus and 0.11 years for 9 years and even for 12 years higher than Moldova’s LEAB.
Ukraine. The largest annual decline in females’ LEAB was Further, a child born in 2019 in Bulgaria as an EU country
recorded in Russia (0.14 years). The largest annual gains in is “deprived” of more than 6 years of life if compared to a
LEAB during this period from 1991 to 2001 were recorded child born in Slovenia and Greece. The difference was even
by Türkiye (0.36 years), Croatia (0.35 years), Poland larger (10 years) between Bulgaria and Italy.
(0.31 years), and Bosnia and Herzegovina (0.31 years). Within the 30-year period of analysis, the gender
Males gained more than females. The largest annual gain in difference in LEAB had a substantial reduction in some
male’s LEAB in the period was found in Croatia (0.50 years), countries: More than 4 years in Montenegro, 2.5 years in
followed by Türkiye (0.38 years), Poland (0.34 years), and Italy, 2.4 years in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2.3 years in
Bosnia and Herzegovina (0.34 years). The largest increases Croatia, and about of 2 years in Russia. By contrast, the
in females’ LEAB were witnessed by Bosnia and Herzegovina gender gap in LEAB in Moldova, Bulgaria, and Romania
(0.30 years), Poland (0.28 years), Italy (0.26 years), Portugal was increased by 1.7 years, 0.6 years, and 0.5 years,
(0.26 years), Malta (0.26 years), and Hungary (0.26 years). respectively. For the remaining countries, the gender gap
By the end of the decade 1991 – 2001, the highest LEAB in LEAB for the whole period was more or less constant.
was found in females in Spain (83.2 years), Italy (82.8 years), Several authors related the narrowing gender gap in LEAB
and Greece (81.8 years). LEAB for both sexes exceeded observed in UK, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, and
78 years in Spain and Italy in 1995 and in Greece in 1997. If Sweden to the significant changes in the lifestyle, education,
LEAB for both sexes in Italy, Spain and Greece during the family roles, and employment of females (Spijker et al.,
period 1995–1997 were compared with those in Romania, 2007). Over the study period (i.e., 1991 – 2019), LEAB was
Türkiye, Hungary, Bulgaria, Ukraine, and Belarus for the prolonged for all study countries not with the same length.

Volume 7 Issue 2 (2021) 24 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.v7i2.389