Men in Russia: a demographic aspect of investigation

1. The article considers the dynamics in the number and length of life of the Russian men against a background of the world trends. At present the share of men in the total Russian population makes only 46.0%. During 1897–1989 the life expectancy of men increased by over two times and reached 63.8 years, and during 1990-2009 it decreased to 62.8 years. 2. In the time of economic and social transformations, men particularly often encounter criminal situations and die of the causes not connected with their state of health. The number of deaths from these causes among men is 5 times as large as that among women (of them from homicides – 4 times as large, suicides – 7 times, transport accidents – 3 times, alcohol poisonings – 4 times, etc.). Elimination of these causes alone would increase life expectancy of men by 3-4 years. There are few legislative acts aimed at solving the acute problems of the male population. 3. In the current demographic situation in Russia the problem of male excess mortality is extremely urgent, it is even more dramatic than other demographic problems. Therefore, it should be reflected and included in the governmental decisions and in the development programmes as a priority issue. 4. Socio-economic and psychical shocks are even more aggravating “the war of sexes” started as far as in the 1970s. This means that we are entering a new era of comprehending both the essence of family and the relations between man and woman. The author is of the opinion that the rhetoric inspiring hatred not only for men but also for women is equally harmful for society. 5. A compromise settlement of the problem of relations between men and women can be achieved only within the frames of a gender-balanced policy.