ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of the gender differences in health, measured in multiple ways, of the elderly and discusses various explanations for these gender health gaps. A consistent pattern emerges in developing and developed countries of female advantage in life expectancy and survival, but disadvantage in functional health. For other health indicators, such as self-rated health, depression, and cognition, relatively consistent evidence of female disadvantage is found in less developed regions, while mixed results are found in more developed regions, with the direction and size of the gaps depending on the age group, location, and time scale under study. To date, epidemiological, biological, social, contextual, and methodological explanations have been provided, but none alone can fully explain the complexities of the gender health gaps among the elderly. Nevertheless, most studies confirm the role of socioeconomic status.
