中国人口寿命性别差距的变动机制

The Changing Mechanism of the Sex Difference in Life Expectancy in China

新中国成立以后,中国人口的再生产类型由传统型转变为现代型,人口平均预期寿命不断延长,并且随着经济社会的发展,男女两性人口寿命之间的差距处于不断变动之中。在新中国成立初期,男性人口与女性人口的平均预期寿命分别是44.54岁和44.58岁,男女之间只相差0.04岁,而到2010年,男性人口与女性人口的平均预期寿命分别是72.38岁和77.37岁,男女之间相差了4.99岁。百岁及以上人口占总人口比重的男女之差也呈现出类似的变动趋势。男性人口与女性人口寿命差距的变动背后蕴含着人口发展的科学规律,即新中国的制度、法律、政策推动了男女平等观念的形成,进而促进了社会角色去性别化趋势的发展,同时,医疗卫生事业的发展成果更多惠及女性人口,最终使得女性人口寿命随社会发展愈发延长。

Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, its population reproduction has transformed from a traditional to a modern one. During this process, the life expectancy of the population has continued to increase, and the sex difference in life expectancy has also been changing. In 1953, the life expectancy of Chinese men and women was 44.54 and 44.58 years, respectively, and the difference was only 0.04 years. By 2010, the life expectancy of men and women reached 72.38 and 77.37 years, respectively, and the difference was 4.99 years. The sex gap in the proportion of people aged 100 and over in the whole population has also widened. The change of the sex gap in life expectancy reflects the law of population development. China’s legal development and policies have supported gender equality, which promotes the formation of gender-less consciousness in social roles and thus benefits women. Ultimately, women’s lifespans have extended.