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S Unit 3: Gender issues Reading–writing: Why Japanese women live longer than any other people (B2) a) Read a newspaper article about Japanese longevity and write down reasons why many Japanese grow so old in the list below. 1 The country where people live longest is Japan. Coming second are countries spanning the Mediterranean and East Asia, as well as countries with strong economies and healthcare systems. In Japan, one in every ten Japanese is over 81, and especially women grow very old. Women account for more than 87% of Japan’s centenarians – people who live to or beyond the age of 100 years. Japanese who make it to the age of 60 today will live on to an average age of 86. That is longer than anywhere else in the world. Nowadays, more than a quarter of the country’s population are over the age of 64. More specifically, 24.15 million (19% of the population) are over 70; 16,370,000 (12.9%) are over 75; 5.01 million (3.9%) are over 85, of which 3.5 million are women. Japanese researchers studied why women live longer than men by comparing age-related changes in their immune systems. The researchers found out that women tend to have an immune system which ages slower than men’s. But as they age, women also tend to maintain better immunological parameters than men. “Part of the secret of getting very old is the traditional Japanese diet,” says Dr Luis Vermont, director of Aging and Life Course at the World Health Organization (WHO). That typical Japanese diet includes a lot of fresh fish and vegetables, combined with low levels of meat and saturated fat. “However, also in Japan the traditional diet has changed,” says Vermont, suggesting that there is more to it than simply food. “Another important issue is lifestyle. Japan has a health system which identifies and treats key issues like blood pressure,” Vermont outlines. Active lifestyles in older years are normal in Japan, helped by the country’s extensive rural landscape getting people outdoors. Furthermore, the health infrastructure is well- established. Susan Fenninger, professor of gerontology at the University of Stanford, names other reasons for Japanese longevity. “The Japanese live in a society with strong family ties and stress-relieving cultural activities,” she explains. Moreover, Japan has social equality, enabling everyone to experience benefits. Reasons why many Japanese grow so old 1. 2. 3. 4. b) Do further research on countries where people live long. c) You have come across the article printed above. You would like to express your view and decide to write to the editor of the magazine. In your e-mail to the editor you should: relate the information given in the article to the experience you have made in your own life draw conclusions for Austria’s public health system suggest ways to keep fit for Europe’s aging population Write around 250 words . 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 128 Semester self-checks Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv