This is a multi-editorial that presents facts about female supercentenarians and their advantage over male supercentenarians, briefly discusses why women tend to live longer than men, and highlights several female supercentenarians who fought for women’s rights or broke barriers.
The female titleholder
Our research at LongeviQuest indicates that about 90 percent of all supercentenarians are women. In fact, the overwhelming majority of the oldest supercentenarians are also women. The age record for female supercentenarians is 122 years and 164 days (Jeanne Calment), compared with the male record of 116 years and 54 days (Jiroemon Kimura). The world’s oldest living person is usually a woman. Over the past 50 or so years, only three validated men have held the title: Yukichi Chuganji, Emiliano Mercado del Toro, and Kimura. This can be compared with more than 50 female titleholders, including Sarah Knauss, Anna Eliza Williams and Susannah Mushatt Jones to name a few. Female supercentenarians also have a higher survival rate past age 110 than male supercentenarians. About 55.5 percent of female supercentenarians, compared to 49.2 percent of male supercentenarians, live to see their 111th birthday. More statistics about supercentenarians and our research on them can be found in a paper published in 2024 by Jeffrey Xu and me.
Why do women live longer?
So what makes women live longer than men? There are several reasons, many of them quite complex. We can begin with the fact that the majority of children born are male. It is not a large majority with about 105 boys are born for every 100 girls, but it is a majority nonetheless. It is only later in life that women catch up to and eventually surpass men in number. Men tend to die at higher rates due, in part, to lifestyle factors. In general, men are more likely to engage in risky behaviors such as physical confrontations, reckless driving, smoking, and heavier alcohol consumption. Women also tend to be more proactive about their health: they are often more attentive to signs of illness, more likely to seek medical care, and more likely to schedule regular appointments with their physicians.
Historically, men have generally worked in more dangerous and physically demanding jobs such as railroad work, construction, and mining, which carry a higher risk of accidents as well as long-term physical “wear and tear.” There are also biological factors. Having two X chromosomes may serve as a protective factor, since individuals with one X and one Y chromosome do not have a second X chromosome that can compensate for potentially harmful genetic variants on the other. The Y chromosome is also much smaller than the X chromosome and contains far fewer genes. Hormones may play a role as well. Estrogen, which is more abundant in most women, has been linked to protective effects on the cardiovascular system. Testosterone (often considered the primary “male” hormone) has been associated with greater risk-taking behavior and higher levels of aggression, which can contribute to higher mortality rates. Body size also appears to play a role in longevity.
Still, why do female (super)centenarians live longer than male supercentenarians? It is not as if male centenarians partake in risk behaviours such as regularly going parachuting or scuba diving… This phenomenon is mostly explained by accumulated damage earlier in life and by genetics (as discussed above and in more detailed explanations offered by other researchers). Because many more women reach age 100 than men, it is only natural that the number of female supercentenarians is also larger. About 80 percent of all centenarians are women, compared with about 90 percent of all supercentenarians, indicating that the female advantage in exceptional longevity is even stronger.
I will not go into additional reasons in this editorial, but there are more. It should also be emphasized that factors beyond biology play a role. Cultural views on sex and gender, gender norms, social constructs, and traditions are not constant. What was considered typically “female” or “male” a century ago, or even a decade ago, is not necessarily the same today and may change again in the future. This discussion is therefore a broad generalization.
Female supercentenarian pioneers/barrier breakers
I will not be able to mention all female supercentenarians, as there have been thousands of them, and most lived their lives away from public attention. I have highlighted a few female supercentenarians previously, so in this section I will note several previously unmentioned female “pioneers.”
One woman who clearly fought for women’s rights was American suffragist Abby Crawford Milton (1881–1991). Crawford Milton and her husband were both active in the suffrage movement in the 1910s, and in 1919 she became president of the Tennessee Woman Suffrage Association. In this role, she helped bring attention to women’s rights, and her work contributed to the ratification of the 19th Amendment in Tennessee. On the national stage, Crawford Milton seconded the nomination of William Gibbs McAdoo at the Democratic National Convention in 1924. She later ran for the Tennessee Senate in the 1930s.
Ruth Apilado (1908–2022) was a journalist who fought against racism and advocated for African American civil rights. She initially worked as a teacher, but in 1973 she founded America’s Intercultural Magazine (AIM), a publication dedicated to combating racism and discrimination. Apilado had begun her journalistic career several decades earlier and, over the years, highlighted the inequalities African Americans faced in the United States. She continued contributing to the magazine until its discontinuation in 2007 and remained a sought-after voice for her insights up until her death at age 113.
Edith Renfrow Smith (1914–2026) broke barriers as the first African American woman to graduate from Grinnell College in Iowa, earning her degree in 1937. She was the grandchild of enslaved people who had moved to Iowa in the 1800s seeking freedom. From a young age, her mother instilled in Renfrow Smith and her siblings the importance of education and equality, lessons they carried throughout their lives. To pay for college, she worked as a secretary and was the only Black student at Grinnell during her years there, excelling in academics and sports. After graduating with a degree in psychology, she worked at the YWCA, supporting women with housing and employment, and later pursued a career as a teacher.
Final remarks
Female supercentenarians, while often coming from a socially disadvantaged position, have an advantage as they encompass the majority of all supercentenarians. Many have also led noteable lives beyond their age, making contributions in various fields, helping pave the way for future generations of women.
Featured Image: Charlotte Hughes (1877-1993) with former UK Prime minister Margaret Thatcher (Source: PA Images)
