Is the Story About Worrying Women and Stoical Men True? Gender Differences in Health After Adjustment for Reporting Behavior

Anna Oksuzyan , Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research
Maciej Danko, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research
Jennifer Caputo, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research
Domantas Jasilionis, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research and Vytautas Magnus University
Vladimir M. Shkolnikov, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research and New Economic School, Russia

Research evidence on gender differences in self-reported health (SRH) is equivocal. Scholars note that the female disadvantage in SRH can may be contributed to by women over-reporting and men under-reporting health problems. Using Wave 1 of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), the present study investigates the extent to which adjusting for differences in reporting behavior modifies gender differences in SRH. We also examine whether men and women’s reporting behaviors are consistent across different levels of education. After adjusting for reporting heterogeneity, we found no clear gender-specific patterns in reporting either poor or good health. Our findings also do not provide convincing evidence that education is an important determinant of global health reporting. The results challenge prevailing stereotypes that women over-report and men under-report health problems and highlight the importance of attending to health problems reported by women and men with equal care.

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 Presented in Session 5. Health & Mortality 1