Sex Differences in Health of Working Population in Russia

Abstract

The study explored the dynamics (2012–2016) and specifics of health in different age and gender groups of working population in modern Russia. The aim of the study was to describe the difference between women and men health characterized by two types of indicators — subjective (self-reported health) and objective (annual average number of cases of morbidity with temporary work incapacity per 100 working persons). The authors used the data of Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey — Higher School of Economics (RLMS-HSE) and of Russian Federal statistic observation “Morbidity with temporal work incapacity”. The authors show that self-reported health is better in a group of men and morbidity is higher in a group of women. The greatest sex difference in morbidity levels is detected in a group of 20–24 years (women are sick 1.8 times as often as men), the least — in a group of 60 years and older. There is no relationship between gender determined perception of health and age group. The authors demonstrate that morbidity had been progressively decreased from 2012 to 2016. At the same time there was no strong difference in self-reported health in 2012 and 2016. The part of working respondents that named their health as “very good” or “good” changed from 48% (2012) to 50% (2016) in a group of men and from 35% (2012) to 38% (2016) in a group of women. The authors revealed the difference in morbidity structure in groups of men and women as well as the gender difference in number of chronic diseases (based on the survey results).