چگونه مردسالاری، مرخصی برای تولد، و مرگ و میر باهم ارتباط دارد؟ مطالعه پدران در گروه والدین و فرزند سوئد در دوره زمانی 1988-1989

One of the proposed causes for the gender gap in longevity is the attitudes and practices culturally prescribed for men, often conceptualised as ‘masculinity’. It has also been suggested that paternity leave, indicating a change from breadwinning to caring, could benefit men’s lifetime health. In this study, the objective was to examine associations between ‘masculinity’ (assessed at the age of 18–19 years), paternity leave (1988–1990), and mortality patterns (1991–2008) based on a population of Swedish men who had a child in 1988/89 (N = 72,569). ‘Masculinity’ was measured during the compulsory military conscription process by a psychologist based on leisure and occupational interests, and paternity leave was measured in fulltime days by registry data. The main finding was that low ‘masculinity’ ranking increased the risk of all-cause mortality, and mortality from alcohol and violent causes, while taking paternity leave between 30 and 135 days decreased the risk of all-cause mortality. However, the weak association found between ‘masculinity’ and paternity leave indicates that entering a caring role as a father is not predicted by ‘masculinity’ assessed in late adolescence, and that the studied phenomena influence male mortality independently of each other.

The question as to why men live shorter lives than women has been asked and examined many times. Yet, it is our belief that it deserves continued attention. Potential causes are still disregarded and strategies targeting them may well generate health and welfare gains among both sexes. In this paper, the focus is on two likely contributors to the gender gap in longevity. The first regards the fact that life-threatening attitudes and practices not only vary according to sex, but also are likely to vary according to type of ‘masculinity’. The second regards the changes brought about in the traditional division between male breadwinning and female caring resulting from paternity leave.