Long-term trends in relative health differences between men and women

Long-term health differences between men and women are studied by making us e of a graphic display of mortality rates for the Netherlands. It turns out that till WW II women aged between eight and 16 and between 25 and 45 were worse off than men. After WW II, male excess mortality among young adults and among people aged 55 and over became a characteristic feature of the mo rtality pattern in many European countries. Factors explaining these histor ical patterns in mortality are explored. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.