Mortality differentials among women: The Israel longitudinal mortality study

In the industrialized world socio-economic status (SES) mortality differentials have been documented and analyzed extensively (Marmot, Shipley, and Rose 1984a; Sorlie, Backund, and Keller 1995; Kunst, Groenhof, and Mackenbach 1998). Frequently, such analyses have focused on male inequalities (Macintyre and Hunt 1997; Kunst et al. 1998). Studies, which address women, indicate that SES inequalities exist for women as well (Moser, Pugh, and Goldblatt 1988; Martelin 1994; Sorlie et al. 1995, Arber 1997). However, there is some evidence that the magnitude of SES inequalities differ, with women having smaller differentials than men (Valkonen 1989; Blane, Davey Smith, and Bartley 1990; Koskinen and Martelin 1994; Elo and Preston 1996).