A boy born in Finland last year can expect to live to be 77.5-years-old, while a girl born in the same year has a life expectancy of 83.4 years. The difference is striking, but men can close the gap by 3.5 years with certain lifestyle changes.
"Men have riskier lifestyles," says psycho-therapist Eero Keinänen. "For example, men drink more alcohol and they are more likely to die in accidents."
Finland’s military history still has an effect, as it has moulded male culture and helped define which forms of masculinity are valued.
"For example, boys are allowed to be behave in a noticeably harder and more aggressive way than girls," says Keinänen.
There are nowadays many contradictory demands that young men find challenging. Keinänen says that each individual should consider themselves what role model they themselves want to emulate.
"When we held a few expectant father and father-baby groups in Oulu, dads spoke a lot about contradictory roles," notes Keinänen.
There are changes, however. Keinänen says that men are more likely to take parental leave now than before. They are also performing more household chores and helping out with domestic work. Even in traditionally male-dominated occupations, employers are increasingly likely to support workers who want to take time off to care for new arrivals.
More than 80 percent of Finnish fathers take paternity leave after their child is born. Among women the percentage taking maternity eave is even higher, at around 97 percent.
