MALE IDENTITY IN TRANSITION
Men's Health Statistics
Activities Page

Table One:  Male-Female Death Rates
Table Two:  Alcoholic Statistics
Table Three:  Physician's Survey
Table Four:  Government Statistics
Table Five:  Suicide Rates
Table Six:  Additional Statistics
 
 
 

Table One:  Male-Female ratio of age-related death rates for the 15 leading causes of death in the United States
(from The Myth of Male Power by Warren Farrell).
Rank based on number of deaths.    Ratio: Male to Female.
 1. Heart Disease
1.9 to 1
 2. Cancer
1.5 to 1
 3. Cerebrovascular Disease
1.2 to 1
 4. Accidents and Adverse Effects
2.7 to 1
 5. Obstructive Lung Disease
2.0 to 1
 6. Pneumonia and Influenza
1.8 to 1
 7. Diabetes Mellitus
1.1 to 1
 8. Suicide
3.9 to 1
 9. Chronic Liver Disease and Cirrhosis
2.3 to 1
 10. Hardening of the Arteries
1.3 to 1
 11. Inflammation of the Kidneys
1.5 to 1
 12. Homicide and Legal Intervention
2.0 to 1
 13. Blood Infections
1.4 to 1
 14. Infant Mortality
1.3 to 1
  15. AIDS 
1.9 to 1
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Table Two: Inpatients discharged for alcohol-related syndrome
(from The Myth of Male Power by Warren Farrell).
 Age:
15-44 
44-64
65 & older
 Male:
349,000
200,000
79,000
 Female:
121,000
65,000
23,000

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Table Three: Survey by the Men's Health Network of 1,500 physicians
(from Wingspan: Journal of the Male Spirit, March 1996)
% Agreed
Items related to men seeking treatment.
84%
"men have more difficulty than women in discussing health concerns, particularly those related to hormonal and reproductive conditions"
94%
"men are less likely to seek medical treatment for a given condition than women"
92%
"men are more likely than women to delay treatment until the severity of a known condition has advanced"
76%
"men are more likely than women to suffer conditions resulting from lifestyle choices (e.g. smoking, drinking, risk-taking)"
69%
"men are less likely than women to adhere to a treatment regimen"
73%
"men have less knowledge than women regarding the consequences of hormonal deficiencies for their own sex"
39%
"doctors training focuses more on conditions specific to women than men"

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Table Four: statistics from the U.S. government
(from Wingspan: Journal of the Male Spirit, March 1996)
 American men make 150 million fewer doctor visits per year than women (this figure excludes pregnancy).
 Men consume only one-half as many health care dollars as women.
 83% of homeless people are men.
 94% of people in prison are men.
 Men's life expectancy rates have decreased in since 1900 while women's have increased.
 Men's life expectancy is seven years less then women's.
 Men's life expectancy would be higher than women's if homocide was taken out of the equation.

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Table Five: suicide rates by age and sex per 100,000 in 1988
(from The Myth of Male Power by Warren Farrell).
Age
Male
Female
5-9
0.1
0.0
10-14
2.1
0.8
15-19
18.0
4.4
20-24
25.8
4.1
25-34
25
5.7
35-65
n/a
n/a
65 and older
66.9
4.6
 The suicide rate among those older than 65 is the highest of any age group and has been rising since 1980.  81% of the suicides in this age group are men. 

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Table Six:  Statistics from Men's Health Network 
& The Mens/Fathers Hotline Website
  • 80% of Suicide deaths are men. 
  • Between ages 10-18, boys are four to five times more likely than girls to commit suicide. 
  • Men are increasingly isolated from their families due to work or divorce. 
  • Over 60% of high school drop-outs are boys. 
  • 80% of those who have serious drug addictions are men. 
  • 80% of the homeless on america's streets are men and 35% of those are Vietnam Veterans. 
  • Men are 43 times more likely than women to be admitted to psychiatric hospitals.
  • Men are 25 times as likely to end up in prison. 
  • Nearly 80% of all Homicide victims are male. 
  • 50% of domestic homicides are committed against men. 
  • Life Expectancy for men is 7 years less than for women. 

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