Gender gap in life expectancy in Korea higher than other OECD countries 한국 여성－

It′s a widely－known scientific fact that women generally live longer than men， but new figures from the OECD show the gender gap in life expectancy in South Korea is far higher than most developed nations. A variety of factors are at play，... but experts say the high smoking rate is not doing Korean men any favors. Sohn Jung－in reports. New data from the OECD show that， as of 2013， South Korea′s life expectancy at birth stood at 81－point－eight years， more than eight years above the OECD average. But if we look at the figures separately， it was a different story for South Korean men. By gender， South Korean men were expected to live until 78－point－five years of age，... six－point－six years less than women′s 85－point－one years. Women′s life expectancy was the fifth highest among the 34 OECD nations. South Korean men were around the middle in 16th. South Korea′s gender gap in life expectancy was the fifth highest， tied with France. The gap was relatively narrow in the Netherlands， New Zealand， the UK and Iceland， but much larger in Estonia， Poland， Slovakia and Hungary. Experts say the discrepancy can largely be attributed to higher smoking and alcohol consumption rates among men compared to women. South Korea had the third highest male smoking rate at 36 percent， but ranked the lowest in women at just over four percent. An official at the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs pointed out that， along with smoking and drinking， other factors like cancer and the high suicide rate probably contributed to lowering life expectancy. He added that South Korean men are more exposed to risks as they tend to have more active social lives than women. Sohn Jung－in， Arirang News.

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