Are men worse off in health than women?

Research report Does being a man make you sick? As of: November 4, 2026 • 10:54 a.m

On average, men have a significantly lower life expectancy than women. A new report shows that gender roles and the impact of social norms also play a role in men's health.

An international team of researchers has calculated that the so-called disease burden for men worldwide is 16 percent higher than for women. This means that they spend more time in their lives with an illness and die earlier. This is reported by an international research group in a detailed series of articles and studies in the specialist magazine The Lancet.

The research group wanted to find out whether masculinity norms and social expectations of men have anything to do with this. They used a new research method to analyze data from several countries and also took into account the influence of other factors such as economic insecurity, poverty and education. This shows that not all men are the same.

Men in particular who live in poor living conditions, are excluded - for example because of their origin, language, sexual orientation - or are under strong economic pressure lead shorter and unhealthier lives. A key part of this is that the image of men worldwide is largely a classic one. It sees men in the role of breadwinner of the family, often associated with an image of strength.

For most people, living healthy all around means: being active, eating a balanced diet, avoiding alcohol and nicotine and managing stress. more

Psychotherapist Andreas Walther from the University of Graz, who was not involved in the publication, is positive about the new research approach because it not only reduces men's health to individual risk behavior and traditional role models, but also takes biological, psychological, social and structural influences into account.

However, he warns against passing the buck exclusively to society's ideas of masculinity: "Not all traditional masculinity norms are fundamentally harmful to health. What is more important is how rigidly these norms are represented, in which social context they work and what individual resources are available. It is not masculinity itself that makes men sick, but rather rigid ideas about it."

Michael Mühlichen from the Federal Institute for Population Research in Wiesbaden, who was also not involved in the publication, also sees a connection in career choice: "Physically demanding work, shift work, accident risks and little control over working conditions affect many men in industry, construction, transport and crafts. Occupational groups that are not exposed to these risks have a significantly higher average life expectancy."

People's material situation has an impact on their health status. more

According to studies, in many cultures the male body is considered to be more resilient to illness, but from a purely medical perspective this is not true. The researchers are therefore calling for greater consideration of social aspects when designing health services for men. Mühlichen sees it similarly: "If men, for example, attend preventive examinations less often, rigid ideals of independence, bad experiences with the health system, professional time restrictions or other reasons may be responsible."

Although Germany, Austria and Switzerland have well-developed health systems according to the Lancet report, we also have significant differences between the genders, says psychotherapist Andreas Walther from the University of Graz: "Particularly relevant are men in socially disadvantaged life situations, with a lower level of education, precarious employment or limited social support networks. The results therefore underline that men do not represent a homogeneous population group and that health prevention measures are more tailored to different realities of life must."

In Germany, men are at a disadvantage compared to women when it comes to gender-specific care. While education and regular examinations by a gynecologist are provided for women after puberty, there is no comparable gender-specific offer for men in this country. You don't get it until you're 45, with your prostate cancer screening. Although men can request personal and medically based information and examinations from a urologist or andrologist if they wish, this is not common practice. Even if some practices try to improve this with so-called boys' consultation hours.

The study authors describe that in North America, men with low incomes and low social status have a higher risk of developing cancer or heart disease. They attribute this to a poorer supply of healthy food and high tobacco and alcohol consumption. There are no individual case studies of individual groups of men for Germany.

In another example, the researchers examined the causes of mental illness among refugees from and in the Middle East and North Africa. They write that refugee men, who generally grew up in a patriarchal society, come under constant stress because they are unable to provide for and protect the families from whom they have been separated.

Racism and xenophobia in the refugee countries often means that they hardly integrate socially and do not accept health services. The result, for example, is depression or post-traumatic stress disorder - which soldiers can also experience after combat missions. As a result, aggression, self-harm and drug abuse occur.

In Mannheim, men can talk about anger, worries and fears in a discussion group - in order to stay healthy. more

"The authors are building on the 'Gender Role Strain Paradigm' that was developed in the 1980s, according to which psychological stress arises when men cannot fulfill social expectations of masculinity due to structural conditions, for example the role of breadwinner in the family," says Silvia Krumm, Professor of Social Psychiatric Participation Research at the Clinic and Polyclinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Leipzig University Hospital.

Krumm sees the new research methodology as a big step forward: "The theoretical framework convinces me above all with its power-critical perspective, which brings together theoretical approaches and empirical findings on men's health. It shows how social inequalities, masculinity norms and individual options for action interact and thus forms an important basis for further research."

Mühlichen from the Federal Institute for Population Research agrees, but at the same time criticizes the fact that biological influencing factors were hardly taken into account. A study was also not taken into account that shows that the difference in life expectancy between men and women under comparable living conditions decreases significantly, but does not disappear completely.

This topic in the program: NDR Info | News | Nov 3, 2026 | 9:55 a.m