Having sons might cause women to have shorter lifespans in comparison with women who have daughters. A study of Finnish villagers from the 17th to mid-20th centuries found that for every son a woman gave birth to, her life expectancy was reduced by 7%. It is thought that perhaps boys are larger at birth and cause more strain on their mothers’ bodies. Another possible explanation is that breastfeeding boys might take more of a toll on women than breastfeeding girls. Some researchers believe that gender of children is not a factor so much as the number of children a woman has in her lifetime, as well as her age, her social and wealth status and her access to proper nutrition and healthcare.
More about the lifespan of mothers:
- The Finnish women that were studied lived an average of 34 weeks less for every son they had.
- Research has shown that having daughters might slightly increase a woman’s life expectancy.
- Fathers do not tend to show any statistical difference in lifespan with regard to the genders of their children.