CSO: Irishwomen outliving their men by 4.8 years

BEHIND every old man is an older woman — 4.8 years older, to be precise.

Figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show females continue to outlive males and have been doing so since CSO Irish Life records began.

In 1926, when summers were longer and lives shorter, both sexes could hope to live to the ripe old age of 57, although women hedged closer to 58. In the intervening 80 years, with improving health and lifestyle choices, men have gained an additional 19.4 years and women 23.7.