Men are worse off than women in several health and other aspects of life, an Australian Bureau of Statistics book on women inadvertently reveals.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics book Women in Australia published last week pointed to widespread economic and social disadvantage for women. In doing so, however, it showed (an admittedly much narrower) range of areas where men are worse off.
More women own their home outright than men and in some areas of health men are worse off than women.
Men are more than twice as likely than women to suffer injury, violence or poisoning and are more likely to be hospitalised for them. Men have twice the death rate as women for accidents, poisoning or violence.
The statistics don’t point out the reasons. That is a matter for speculation: that men do the heavy, dangerous work; that men stupidly put themselves in violent situations; that men do not take enough care in potentially dangerous situations.
Men’s cancer rate is about 10 per cent higher than the female rate, mainly through higher lung cancer rates through more smoking.
Men have a higher hospitalisation rate than women for all age groups over 50. Under 50 it is reversed.
Men have a much lower life expectancy (74 years) than women (80 years), though this has been converging over the past 10 years.
Fewer men change their diet either for health or to lose weight than women.
On home ownership, 38.2 per cent of women own their home outright, compared to 34.3 per cent of men. The probable reason is that women are more likely to outlive men and inherit the house, and that gives them more testamentary power than men. More women (5.2 per cent) get subsidised public housing than men (3.1 per cent).
The Minister for Family Services and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister, Rosemary Crowley, said in launching the book that women were catching up, but that in every area there were caveats. People lobbying governments, researchers and others would find the book useful so they could argue from fact, not assertion any myth. The book would provide a good base to target improvements.
Perhaps the figures incidentally shown about men’s disadvantage show that there is some danger for women in “”catching up”; they might also get some of the disadvantages that men have in some areas.
The point about the value of good statistics and targeting is true, too, for men. Education on diet and on taking more care in dangerous situations being good examples.
The widespread disadvantages of women were covered extensively during the week.