Sammanfattning
In Denmark the life expectancy of women has been declining since 1980, and is now the lowest of all OECD countries. The excess mortality of women in Denmark is linked to lifestyle factors: tobacco smoking, alcohol and drug consumption. The authors discuss the possible impact of other external factors: full-time employment, work load, job insecurity, unemployment, single motherhood, and social isolation. The main hypothesis is that the daily life of women in Denmark has deteriorated over the years, and that changes in lifestyle and behaviour in part can be explained by evolved strategies in order to cope with anxiety and strain.