France is one of the European countries where life expectancy is the highest : 83.6 years for women and 78.1 years for men. But a new one INSEE study comes to weigh these figures: to hope to live old, it is better to be part of the richest.
“Among the wealthiest people, men have a life expectancy at birth of 84.4 years. In contrast, among the bottom 5% of people, men have a life expectancy of 71.7 years. The wealthiest men therefore live on average 13 years longer than the poorest “ underlines Nathalie Blanpain, of the Surveys and Demographic Studies division of INSEE.
Among women, this gap is smaller: the life expectancy at birth of the wealthiest 5% of women reached 88.3 years, against 80.0 years among the lowest 5%, i.e. 8 years of difference.
Why such a difference ?
Knowing that in the INSEE survey, the wealthiest 5% have an average standard of living of 5,800 euros per month and the lowest 5% a monthly standard of living of 470 euros, we can logically say that financial difficulties limit access to health care.
Managers are also less subject to occupational risks (accidents, illnesses, exposure to toxic products) than workers.
Cultural (eating habits, etc.), behavioral (alcohol consumption, smoking, etc.), environmental (pollution, etc.) differences between the better-off and the more modest can also play on life expectancy.
Finally, a low standard of living can also be the consequence of poor health rather than being the cause: “Poor health can hinder the pursuit of studies, the exercise of a job, or access to the most qualified jobs” emphasize the researchers.
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