While there were almost as many women as men in Malta last year – 101.2 women for every 100 men – the difference increases dramatically over the age of 65, a clear indication that women are living much longer than men.
According to statistics issued by Eurostat yesterday, for every 100 Maltese men over 65 years last year there were 132.3 women.
The situation is identical all over the EU although, according to Eurostat, the average was slightly higher than Malta’s, with 138.2 women for every 100 men aged 65 and over in 2011.
The fact that Maltese women are living longer than men comes as no surprise. According to the most recent statistics, life expectancy at birth varies considerably between the two sexes.
Life expectancy at birth of Maltese women stands at 82.7 years
While Maltese men are now expected to live up to 77.9 years, the life expectancy at birth of Maltese women stands at 82.7 years.
The data published by the EU’s statistics arm also shows that the difference in employment rates between men and women drops according to one’s education level. The higher the level of education, the lower is the difference in employment rates.
While among those aged 25 to 64 having just primary education the difference in the employment rate last year was at its highest – 48 per cent – it fell to eight per cent among those with a tertiary level of education.
The employment rate of those with tertiary education in 2011 stood at 89.9 for males and 81.8 for females. On the other hand, among those with a low level of education, the employment rate was 78.7 per cent for males and 38.8 among in the case of females.
When it comes to shopping, there is still a stark difference between the two sexes.
An analysis of online transactions made by Maltese shoppers last year shows that, while women topped the charts when shopping for clothes – 61 per cent of purchases in this category –men were more interested in shopping for electronics. In this category, 31 per cent of purchases were made by men while 24 per cent were made by women.