The differences in men and women's risk of death might be the result of different
degrees of involvement in formal organizational networks. Gender roles could be at
work to encourage and sustain greater participation by women in formal networks.
The popular injunction to 'act like a man' is probably a poor survival tactic when
it comes to getting involved in community life outside family and work. Men who
acted like women by participating in formal organizations throughout their lives had
survival and health experiences as good as, if not better than, the women. This finding
casts doubt on the genetic differences argument used to explain why women
typically live longer than men.