On Why Women Live Longer than Men
When my colleague Mitch proposed this topic my mind immediately switched to when I was younger and my brother got into trouble after going on one or another crazy escapade. On this particular instance, he wanted a certain haircut, one that my dad had forbidden him from having because apparently it was what ‘gangsters’ had on and no son of his was going to be associated with a ‘gangster’. Back then, my dad was pretty strictbut my brother was determined to get the haircut.
Unfortunately for him, on the planned D-day, my dad dropped him off at the barber and decided to get a haircut himself. This meant my brother was not able to blurt out to the barber the exact haircut he wanted. So he got a clean shave like the good boy my parents knew they were raising. He however came up with an alternative solution to his predicament; the alternative solution included me, my tiny shaky hands and a pair of scissors one evening. I remember his cheeky smile as he handed me the pair of scissors and explained to me the specifics of his dream hair cut…so much trouble for a haircut, yes? But my brother’s zeal was and still is his best quality; he goes for what he wants…he loves the thrill of a challenge though looking back, that haircut was a pretty dumb idea.
And as expected by me at least, it was a complete disaster. One he would have probably gotten away with only if my grandma hadn’t showed up and taken a keen interest in observing her grandchildren, after which she removed my brother’s hood and saw the butchered haircut. My parents being the typical African parents, I don’t need to go into the details on just what a thorough beating my brother got. Less than a week later he was back to his cheeky escapades. Could that be it?…that men are simply a tad bit more adventurous and daring than women? Are men just more prone to risky situations because they love the adrenaline rush?
Just the other day, I saw a young man on a hoverboard at the edge of the rooftop. Among the different ways I might die, I am sure falling off the edge of a building after slipping from my hoverboard is not one of them. In my opinion, women are a little bit more cautious than men are, they are also quite paranoid and take fewer risks. “Safety first,” my mother used to say.
Men also generally engage in activities that tend to increase their mortality rate. Despite the fact that women have taken up alcohol and drinking over recent years, there is still some stigma associated with women openly indulging, contrary to men who are encouraged to take part in such activities. These activities are actually considered manly. At the end of the day, liver cirrhosis and lung cancer related deaths are a leading cause of the high mortality rate among men. Just the other day, a number of people in Kenya fell to their untimely death after consuming illegal liquor, over ninety percent of them men. Not to mention that the brewers were mostly women, women who not once consumed the liquor they brewed.
Women also tend to take care of their bodies because of the simple fact that they were the chosen amongst our species to bear infants. Most women, however reckless they may be on their normal days, take really good care of themselves during and after pregnancy for their infants’ sake. Women feel an indebted sense of responsibility for their children, so much so, that they have no problem altering their lifestyles for their offerings. Science however claims women have an easier time adapting to changes in the environment due to their stronger immune system. But what do I know? Whatever reason the reason, all I know is that out of the top 49 eldest people, only 2 are men. Enjoy your weekend, from Sudi. To get a male perspective on this, please click HERE and read the views of my colleague Mitchell
