A quick look at the Guinness book of world records and the world's population figures will easily attest to a phenomenon now referred to as the "feminization of aging." Just check out the names of people who have lived - or are still living - beyond 100 in the last few years.

French woman Jeanne Calment was the oldest documented person to have lived - she died at 122 in 1997. And there is, of course, Japan's famous twins: 108-year-old Gin and Kin, who are still actively involved in volunteer work for the elderly.

Feminization of aging, according to the United Nations, is the trend of women outliving men by an average of seven years, giving rise to health problems and issues specific to the female gender. But women have been living longer than men for centuries.

The main difference is that the average life span until around the 1800s was never more than 30 years. By the turn of the 20th century, life expectancy rose to around 48. Today, at the start of a new millennium, average longevity is pegged at 76.

Biological edge
Why women outlive men is due to various biological and social factors. First and foremost among the biological factors is estrogen, the female hormone, which helps protect women, at least until menopause, from certain diseases.

Estrogen helps remove damaging blood fats and prevents blood clots that lead to heart disease. Testosterone, the male sex hormone, does the opposite. Recent studies also suggest that estrogen helps protect brain cells and prevent neurodegenerative diseases associated with aging.

Body shape may also be a factor. According to aging issues expert Ingrid Waldron, a biologist from the University of Pennsylvania, the paunch that men develop may be a more dangerous kind of fat than the excess fat women accumulate around their thighs and hips.

For reasons scientists have yet to explain, women's immune systems are also stronger than men's. Even as babies, women are more resilient than men.

Estrogen helps remove damaging blood fats and prevents blood clots.

 Nature's plan
Some scientists say nature may have meant for women to outlive men to ensure that the mothers survive long enough to raise their children into adulthood. In a study of nine primate species, including humans, researchers from the California Institute of Technology found that whichever sex serves as the primary caretaker of the young tends to live longer than its mate.

But women who live long tend to have had their first child later in their lives and have fewer children. In one study by Dr. Thomas Perls, a geriatrician from Boston, results suggest that women who give birth for the first time in their 40s have an increased chance of living to 100. These women's biological clocks are ticking slowly - their fertility peaks later in life and they age more slowly, explains Perls.

Research by Rudi Westendorp from Netherlands, on the other hand, indicates there may be an optimal number of childbirths beyond which women pay a physical toll. That further strengthens the current feminization of aging - more women today than ever are getting married in their late twenties through thirties and opting to have fewer children.

Social and behavioral factors play a role, too, in women's longevity. In general, they tend to be more health-conscious and seek medical attention more readily than men, Waldron says. They are also better at expressing their emotions and getting moral support from friends and family.

Men also tend to take more risks than women, drink and smoke more and act dangerously during crisis situations. Hence, death rates of males resulting from accidents, homicides, suicides and lung cancer outnumber that of females.

Loneliness, alienation, depression and poverty are common for older women.

The drawbacks
Unfortunately, living longer has its downside

"The proportion of their remaining years that are disability-free is lesser than for older men,'' reports Arrows for Change, a publication devoted to women's health issues. "They are more susceptible to chronic diseases such as arthritis, osteoporosis, diabetes, hypertension, urinary incontinence and Alzheimer's disease. Some of these diseases are due to years of neglect, discrimination and the hardship of their childbearing years. Thus, their biological advantage is overtaken by their social disadvantage."

Since many of older women outlive their husbands and would likely have less income in retirement or none at all, loneliness, alienation, depression and poverty also are common.

Changing times in Asia also affect the future of its elderly women. Urbanization and migration of the younger generation to cities and other countries in search of better jobs has eroded the traditional extended family support system.

Some older women who live with their children, on the other hand, have to assume care-giving roles to their children's children. "This limits their opportunity for independence and freedom to pay attention to their own physical and emotional needs, besides increasing their financial burden at a time when they would probably have limited or no income at all," notes Arrows for Change.

Shining golden years
To live long and healthy lives, it is important for women to take care of themselves through proper nutrition, exercise, and healthy lifestyles throughout their lives. Having a doctor you can trust and openly consult with regarding various health issues is important.

Prudent retirement planning is also crucial as this will greatly affect your economic security in old age which, in turn, will determine your ability to access proper healthcare and enjoy your golden years.

As Gin-san, the younger of the two Japanese twins, says, ''Living long is good. You don't need to listen to what your elders say any more.''

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