The Male Disadvantage?

1. The male disadvantage.

We’ve known for a long time that women outlive men, a fact that seemingly holds true across time and geography. But new research from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and UCSF indicates that the gap in life expectancy in the US between men and women is growing. The gap, according to the latest data, is now 5.8 years, an increase from 4.8 years in 2010 and the largest gap in a quarter of a century. It is a significant finding, though we should acknowledge that the gap between men and women was considerably higher throughout the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.

The widening of the gap in recent years is largely attributable to COVID and to what are collectively known as deaths of despair: drug overdoses, alcohol related deaths and suicide, which are higher among men due to job loss, loneliness and stress. The researchers also point to higher rates of accidental death, most commonly car accidents.

The gap between men and women used to be called the “female advantage,” which is an apt description when life expectancies for women and men were both advancing. Now, with the settling, and even decline, in life expectancy in this country, the issue has more to do with a troubling regression in men’s health rather than advancements in women’s health, so we might refer to this as the “male disadvantage” now.

2. ADU on the rise.

We’ve written before about the surge in support for alternative dwelling units, commonly known as ADUs, in this country. ADUs have proven attractive to urban planners as they are perceived to help relieve housing shortages without some of the associated political challenges. In recent weeks, Beverly, Massachusetts became the latest town to approve ADU development and New York City announced a pilot program to help fund the development of more ADUs in the city.

Notably, NYC emphasized family and aging issues in announcing the program, trumpeting the fact that it will help seniors “spend their retirement years in their chosen neighborhood,” enable in-laws to move in with young families, make space for children returning from college—and by the way, help ease the current real estate crisis without changing neighborhood characteristics.

We are all in on the multigenerational family and ADUs are a useful tool in supporting family cohesion—so we are happy to see their spread. But we sense that some city governments are leading with that argument largely because it is a more palatable political argument than a drive to increase urban density. That’s fine with us, whatever works, but we do note that if you judge by the comments on the NY Post article, no one is being particularly fooled. It’s not that comments on the NY Post are a particularly good bellwether for public opinion – or at least we certainly hope they are not – but it is to say that changes in real estate rules are always going to be a battle.

3. If only Bobi had been able to hold on a little longer.

With the passing of Bobi, the world’s oldest living dog, the Guinness Book of World Records is on the hunt for his successor. But others are taking a different approach to canine longevity. Earlier this week, biotech company Loyal announced that the FDA had determined that Loyal’s experimental drug to extend the lifespan of large dogs had “a reasonable expectation of effectiveness.” That’s not FDA approval, but it is considered an important step towards large clinical trials and perhaps approval by 2026.

The Loyal drug works by targeting a hormone known as IGF-1, which is associated with higher levels of mortality in large dogs. The company hopes to prove that a regular course of injections would lower the level of the hormone and thereby extend life expectancy.

The FDA has never approved longevity drugs for dogs—or humans for that matter—so eventual approval would be considered a breakthrough. And it is hoped that the insights gathered from large scale canine trials might have future applicability to the development of human longevity drugs as well. You can read more about it at Wired here.

4. And finally, we didn't watch the Golden Bachelor this week but neither did you.

The Golden Bachelor was on hiatus this past week, no doubt to build anticipation for tomorrow’s big reveal. We were so preoccupied with this cliffhanger that we could hardly get through our fourth helping of turkey and stuffing. Come back next week for the final results and our last thoughts on this year’s production.

5. And finally, finally: ISO survey respondents for longevity in the workplace study.

The University of Pennsylvania is conducting a research study on factors influencing the motivation of adults to continue to work beyond the traditional retirement age. Your participation can help organizations and individuals better support extended working lives for those who need to or want to work longer. If you are 62+, you can share your experience by completing the survey by Dec 10. Take the Survey here.

We have not taken the survey (we don’t qualify quite yet) but are told by our friends at the University of Pennsylvania that it takes only 12 minutes to complete. Eligible study participants include adults aged 62 and above in the US who work (whether full-time or part-time for pay) or recently retired in the last three years. We have been assured that responses will be confidential and will be reported only in aggregate as a group, i.e., individuals will never be identified.