Aging is gender blind

On the contrary, age is presumed to be the great equalizer ? men and women, rich and poor, regardless of background, escape old age only through premature death It is true that both women and men suffer the biological deterioration that advanced age brings, and both males and females face ageist stereotypes and misconceptions Both males and females experience loss with age However, gender remains a central feature of aging The world of the very old is primarily a world of women On average, women live 7 years longer than men At 65, women outnumber men by 100 to 83; by 85, women outnumber men by 100 to 39 The over 85 age segment is the fastest growing segment of the population .