

Why Men Die Younger Than Women: The 'Guys Are Fragile' Thesis - thejteam
http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/06/17/192670490/why-men-die-younger-than-women-the-guys-are-fragile-thesis

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StefanKarpinski
What a cheat. The "theory" advanced here is that "mean are weaker" with no
further explanation, which is just a restatement of the fact that needs
explaining – namely that men tend to die off at a higher rate across all ages.

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coldtea
> _What a cheat. The "theory" advanced here is that "mean are weaker" with no
> further explanation_

Em, the article offers several explanations. Perhaps you skipped them?

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john_b
Actually, the explanations the article put forward were unrelated to the "male
weakness" hypothesis. Riskier lifestyles, tougher treatment of their bodies by
men, unspecified effects by testerone, and size differences were all listed as
explanations. Near the end, after these explanations had been discarded as
insufficient to explain the full difference, we get this:

 _" Something about being male 'influences unfavorably the resistance ... to
disease at all ages.' He called it 'male weakness.'"_

The quote then reuses the same basic argument by the author, that there are
numerous valid reasons that men die younger, but they cannot explain the full
difference.

Because of this, the author claims that there must be some other force at play
(which is quite likely true) but instead of offering a scientifically testable
hypothesis he simply chalks it up to some vague notion of male weakness. Even
if "male weakness" was better defined, no further explanation is offered to
support this theory at all.

It's definitely a cheat. The article started with sound data and logic and
ended with an arbitrary conclusion not based on any of the prior
considerations. It allows the author to assert a predetermined conclusion
based on the appearance of thorough research.

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btilly
There is another interesting factor. Women seem to have more active immune
systems. This gives them a lot more cases of the sniffles, but less of a
chance of dying outright.

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lazyjones
I have another theory: girls just receive more attention and more care than
boys, at any age.

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EliRivers
That doesn't seem to be true. In almost all societies where there is a
significant disparity between the treatment of boys and girls, boys are far
more highly prized. They are first in the line for food, medicine, education.

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chrisbennet
Married men die before their wives - because they want to. ;-)

