ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the social demography of health from the standpoint of gender, age, gender, and race. It analyzes the pattern of life expectancy for men and women. The chapter contrasts mental health differences between men and women. It traces the configuration of aging in the United States. The chapter also describes racial differences in health. Although the gender gap has narrowed in recent decades, it should not be forgotten that male death rates still exceed those of females at all ages and for the leading causes of death such as heart disease, cancer, cerebrovascular diseases, accidents, and pneumonia. The average life expectancy in the United States in 2014 of non-Hispanic white females was 81.1 years compared to 76.5 years for non-Hispanic white males. Social and psychological influences also play an important part in the determination of life expectancy. More than 440,000 Americans die each year from smoking-related diseases.
