Gender differences in health and quality of life among elderly people living in northern Chile

Abstract

Aging is an individual process and therefore particular to each person over 60 years old, one of the main differentiating criteria of the aging process is gender. In this line, the objective of this research is to know the differences in well-being, associated with physical health -dependency and health issues- conditions and quality of life, depending on the gender variable. This is a quantitative and transactional study, with a sample of 777 (488 women and 289 men) elderly people that live in the North end of Chile. The results show differences in the aging process between women and men. In objective terms, men age better in their physical and mental health and economic security, whereas women obtained better results on subjective or satisfaction aspects related to the various fields of quality of life. The practical applications are discussed starting from those results.