Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Sex Differences in Adult Mortality: Some Evidence from Taiwan

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Illuminating How Identities, Stereotypes and Inequalities Matter through Gender Studies

  • 2237 Accesses

Abstract

Women, on average, have higher life expectancies than men, though sex differences in mortality vary from country to country and over time. In this paper I propose to examine and compare over an extended period of time the trends and levels of life expectancy of Taiwan (1906–2008). In 2007 the average life expectancy at birth of Taiwanese was 81.7 years for females and 75.6 years for males (The Human Mortality Database 2010). I will use data from annual life tables for the years of 1906–2008 produced by the Ministry of the Interior of Taiwan for Taiwan. Therefore, in this paper, I will not only review sex differences in mortality and longevity in Taiwan, but also estimate logistic models of mortality to decompose the trends and levels of life expectancy in Taiwan into three parts: juvenile, background, and senescent life expectancy, as proposed by Bongaarts in 2006 .

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Bongaarts, J. (2006). How long will we live? Population and Development Review, 32(4), 605–628.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Canudas-Romo, V., You, D., Hsu, Y.-H., & Lu, T.-H. (2012). About mortality data for Taiwan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chan, R. (2012). US scholar praises Taiwan health care system. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China (Taiwan)

    Google Scholar 

  • Fanchiang, C. (2004). New IC health insurance card expected to offer many benefits. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China (Taiwan)

    Google Scholar 

  • Gartler, S. M. (1990). The relevance of X-chromosome inactivation to gender differentials in longevity. In Marcia G. Ory, & Huber R. Warner (Eds.), Gender, health, and longevity: Multidisciplinary perspectives, (pp. 73–86). New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gjonça, A., Tomassini, C., Toson, B., & Smallwood, S. (2005). Sex differences in mortality, a comparison of the United Kingdom and other developed countries. Health Statistics Quarterly/ Office For National Statistics, 26, 6–16.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haines, M. (2008). Fertility and Mortality in the United States. In EH.Net Encyclopedia, edited by Robert Whaples.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hazzard, W. (1986). Biological basis of the sex differential in longevity. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society,34, 455–471.

    Google Scholar 

  • Human, M. D. (2010). Data download from http://www.mortality.org in 2010.

  • Jarvik, L. F. (1963). Sex Differences in Longevity. Advances in Sex Research, 1(ArticleType: research-article/ Full publication date: Oct., 1963/ Copyright © 1963 Taylor & Francis, Ltd.), 151–58.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, A. (1977). Recent trends in sex mortality differentials in the United States. Journal of human stress, 3(1), 22–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kalben, B. B. (2003). Why men die younger: Causes of mortality differences by sex. Society of Actuaries (SOA) Monograph M–LI101.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lowen, L. (2009). Gender differences in life expectancy and leading causes of death in women. In About.com Guide.

    Google Scholar 

  • Madigan, F. C. (1957). Are sex mortality differential biologically caused? Milbank Memerial Fund Quarterly, 35, 202–223.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Manton, K. G. (1990). Population models of gender differences in mortality, morbidity, and disability risks. In Marcia G. Ory, & Huber R. Warner (Eds.), Gender, health, and longevity: Multidisciplinary perspectives, (pp. 201–248). New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nathanson, C. A. (1984). Sex differences in mortality. Annu Rev Sociol, 10, 191–213.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Neel, J. V. (1990). Toward an explanation of the human sex ratio. In Marcia G. Ory, & Huber R. Warner (Eds.), Gender, health, and longevity: Multidisciplinary perspectives (pp. 57–72). New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oksuzyan, A., Crimmins, E., Saito, Y., O’Rand, A., Vaupel, J., & Christensen, K. (2010). Cross-national comparison of sex differences in health and mortality in Denmark, Japan and the US. European Journal of Epidemiology, 25(7), 471–480.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Omran, A. R. (2005). First published 1971. The epidemiologic transition: A theory of the epidemiology of population change. Milbank Quarterly, 83(4), 731–757.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Population Reference Bureau. (2010). 2010 World population data sheet. Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Poston, Dudley L. Jr., & Bouvier, Leon F. (2010). Population and society: An introduction to demography. New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Rogers, R. G., Hummer, R. A., & Nam, C. B. (2000). Living and dying in the USA: Behavioral, health, and social differentials of adult mortality. San Diego: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rogers, Richard G., Everett, Bethany G., Jarron, M. S. O., & Patrick, M. Krueger (2010). Social, behavioral, and biological factors, and sex differences in mortality. Demography, 47(3), 55–578.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosenberg, M. (2010). Life expectancy: Overview of life expectancy. In About.com Guide.

    Google Scholar 

  • United Nations. 2007. World population prospects: The 2006 revision, highlights, working paper. New York: United Nations.

    Google Scholar 

  • Waldron, I. (1983). Sex differences in human mortality: The role of genetic factors. Social Science & Medicine, 17(6), 321–333.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA

    Yu-Ting Chang

Authors
  1. Yu-Ting Chang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yu-Ting Chang .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of West Alabama, Livingston, Alabama, USA

    D. Nicole Farris

  2. Lamar University, Beaumont, Texas, USA

    Mary Ann Davis

  3. University of New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

    D'Lane R. Compton

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Chang, YT. (2014). Sex Differences in Adult Mortality: Some Evidence from Taiwan. In: Farris, D., Davis, M., Compton, D. (eds) Illuminating How Identities, Stereotypes and Inequalities Matter through Gender Studies. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8718-5_12

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation