Random Things of A Study That Suggests Women Are More Likely To Survive Apocalyptic Hell (11 items)

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  (#4) Girls Outlive Boys In Infancy, Meaning Their Survival Skills Are Biological

  A 2018 female survival advantage study from Germany and Denmark showed that women survived longer in times of famine and disease. It also showed at the root of the sex's ramped-up life expectancy was the resilience of newborn baby girls. Across the board, infant mortality was higher for boys than it was for girls. This was in spite of the fact that parental attitudes historically preferred male offspring (it wasn't the firstborn daughter that was threatened by the plagues of Egypt; it was the firstborn son). In some cases, families were more willing to seek out treatment and food for their sons, who were responsible for continuing the family name.

  "It is even more remarkable that, despite a potential discrimination against them, baby girls survived more [than baby boys]," said Virginia Zarulli, the study's lead author and assistant professor at the Institute of Public Health at the University of Southern Denmark.

  On top of that, pregnant women are more likely to give birth to girls when a crisis strikes. A study revealed a dip in the ratio of male-to-female births during a famine in the country of Shige Song. Experts aren't exactly sure why there'd be more baby girls, but some believe that baby boys are an inherent genetic gamble. Food is scarce; girls are resilient; and as a result, your body makes sure to give you a daughter if times are tough.
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  (#1) Researchers Examined Over 250 Years Of Humanity's Most Dire Events

  Researchers examined data from the past 250 years that spanned seven populations in situations so dire the life expectancy for both sexes was less than 20 years. This included everything from the Irish Potato Famine to the measles epidemics of 1846 and 1882.

  The most extreme portion of data included was the information surrounding freed slaves in Liberia. In the 1800s, Liberia experienced the highest mortality rates ever recorded when freed American slaves relocated to West Africa. Over 40 percent of the liberated slaves died in the first year from tropical diseases and babies struggled to reach their second birthday. Across the board, women were the most likely to survive.
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  (#3) Women Live An Average Of 3.7 Years Longer During Widespread Famine

  If you're facing intense famine (perhaps after our crops are destroyed by radioactive soil), you're a little bit luckier if you're a woman. Researchers found the women outlive men when food is scarce.

  The study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences examined the way the Irish Potato Famine affected the life expectancy of men and women. The famine began in 1846 when a fungus-like blight infected Ireland's largest crop. The outbreak was widespread until 1851 and claimed about a million lives during its five years of destruction. On average, women lived 3.7 years longer than men in these dire circumstances.

  It wasn't only women who fared better; girls did, too. During the 1933 Ukrainian famine, newborn girls lived to be an average of 10.85 years old, while newborn boys only made it to an average of 7.3 years.
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  (#7) Women's Survival Might Be Chromosomal

  When it comes down to it, women have a safeguard that men don't. One theory alleges that women regularly outlive men because their double X chromosomes safeguard them against diseases as their cells begin to malfunction with age.

  It's really simple when you look at it. Women have two X chromosomes, but men have an X and a Y chromosome. This means that women keep two copies of every single gene they have, while men keep just one. If a gene is faulty or malfunctions with age, women have another to fall back on. Men don't, so they're at a greater risk for diseases like cancer. In the UK, it's estimated that men are 40% more likely to die from cancer and 16% more likely to contract the disease
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  (#6) Testosterone Might Actually Be Deadly

  The worldwide phenomenon known as the "man flu" is absolutely real (as much as we may detest when our whiny boyfriends claim to be on their death beds with the slightest hint of a cold). Research has shown that men have a greater risk of being admitted to the hospital, have higher rates of flu-related deaths, and are more susceptible to complications from severe respiratory diseases. This is largely attributed to estrogen, the life-blood coursing through women's veins. Estrogen is known to boost the immune system while testosterone, the most prominent hormone in men, can suppress it. Testosterone has been known to increase the risk of heart disease, infection, and cancer later in life.

  Korean scientist Han-Nam Park discovered testosterone's tendency to thwart life expectancy after analyzing records from the Imperial Court of the Chosun Dynasty in Korea. These 19th century records included information about 81 eunuchs who had their testicles removed before they reached puberty. The eunuchs managed to live an average of 70 years while regular men who kept their testicles lived for 50 years. They were 130 times more likely to make it to their 100th birthday.
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  (#5) Today, Women Regularly Outlive Men By More Than A Decade

  Though history serves as our witness, women are still more resilient than men in today's society. Though life expectancy is ever-increasing worldwide (with a slight two year dip in US life expectancy), women regularly outlive men by over a decade. The widest gap is found in Russia, where the average man lives to be 64.7 years old and the average woman lives to be 76.3. That's over an 11 year difference. In places like Japan, which has the longest life expectancy for both sexes, the average man lives to be 80, while the average woman lives to be 86. Across the board, women outlive men.

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