When we think about the factors that determine how long we’ll live, wealth usually comes to mind as a major player. Access to better healthcare, healthier food, safer neighborhoods, and less stressful working conditions all cost money. But recent research reveals something surprising: the relationship between wealth and life expectancy isn’t the same for everyone. Money appears to buy men significantly more years of life than it does women.
Studies examining this phenomenon have found a striking pattern. Among the wealthiest segments of society, men live considerably longer than their poorer counterparts, with gaps that can stretch to ten years or more. For women, while wealth still matters, the differences are markedly smaller. A woman in the bottom income bracket might live only a few years less than her wealthiest counterpart, whereas men at opposite ends of the economic spectrum can see differences approaching a decade or more.
This disparity raises an important question: why does money seem to matter more for men’s longevity than women’s? The answer likely lies in the different ways poverty affects the sexes and how each gender engages with healthcare and lifestyle choices across economic strata.One key factor is behavior. Wealthy men tend to adopt healthier lifestyles more dramatically than poor men do. They’re more likely to quit smoking, exercise regularly, moderate their drinking, and seek preventive medical care. Poor men, by contrast, face higher rates of risky behaviors including smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, and dangerous occupations. The behavioral gap between rich and poor women exists too, but it’s considerably narrower. Women across economic classes tend to engage with healthcare more consistently and maintain somewhat healthier habits regardless of income.
The nature of work provides another piece of the puzzle. Low-income men are disproportionately employed in physically demanding and dangerous jobs like construction, manufacturing, and mining. These occupations take a toll on the body and carry real risks of injury or exposure to harmful substances. While poor women certainly work in difficult conditions, they’re somewhat less likely to be in the most physically hazardous roles, which may offer a degree of protection.
Healthcare utilization patterns differ sharply by gender and income too. Wealthy men tend to have excellent access to healthcare and often use it effectively, getting regular checkups and addressing problems early. Poor men frequently delay seeking care, sometimes until conditions become serious. Women, regardless of income, tend to be more proactive about healthcare. Even lower-income women are more likely than lower-income men to have regular contact with the medical system, whether through reproductive health services or simply a greater willingness to seek help.
Stress and social support networks may also play crucial roles. Poverty creates chronic stress that damages health over time, but men and women often cope differently. Women tend to maintain stronger social connections and support networks even in difficult economic circumstances, which can buffer some of poverty’s health impacts. Men, particularly those struggling financially, may become more socially isolated, compounding the physiological effects of economic stress.
There’s also the question of what wealth enables. For men, higher income often means escaping not just poverty but entire clusters of risk factors: dangerous work, poor neighborhoods, limited healthcare access, and social environments where unhealthy behaviors are normalized. For women, while wealth certainly helps, baseline behaviors and healthcare engagement may already be protective enough that additional money produces smaller marginal gains in longevity.
This pattern has important implications for how we think about health inequality. Policies aimed at extending life expectancy by addressing poverty might need to consider that men and women experience economic disadvantage differently. Programs that specifically target the behavioral and occupational risks faced by low-income men, or that make healthcare more accessible and acceptable to men who might otherwise avoid it, could help narrow these gaps.
The finding also challenges us to think more carefully about gender and health. We often hear about ways men’s health is disadvantaged, and this is clearly one of them: economic vulnerability translates more directly into early death for men than for women. Understanding why requires looking at the complex interplay of work, behavior, culture, and healthcare access.
Ultimately, the goal should be ensuring that everyone, regardless of gender or income, has the opportunity to live a long and healthy life. But getting there means recognizing that the barriers people face aren’t identical, and neither are the solutions.