Life expectancy

[letrangere]

Came across the following, though perhaps I should post it in the employment section as it's food for thought for those looking for work in France but makes equally interesting reading for the rest of us. 

Vous avez 35 ans.  Voici le nombre d'annees qui vous restent a vivre (en moyenne, naturellement) selon que vous etes:

- professeur: 43,5 ans

- agriculteur: 40,4 ans

- employe de bureau: 38,7 ans

- ouvrier specialise: 37,2 ans

- personnel de service: 36,2 ans

- manoeuvre (non spec.) 34,5 ans

Hardly surprising profs come out top (must be all those holidays!) but what a difference between this group and the office workers.  By the way, in same book came across an even more interesting graph depicting birth and death rates since 1800.  You should see how the death rate soared during the Franco/Prussian war, it was even more marked than 1914-18, though it wasn't accompanied by the same sudden drop in births.

M

 

[Val_2]

Another thing I have noticed too in France is  the ripe old ages that Nuns and priests live to. I read the local daily paper from cover to cover because I believe it helps with the language to see the written word in everyday use and always read the obituaries because it is the only way you have sometimes of finding out if a local has died and you need to pay your respects/go the funeral etc and everytime a nun or priest is mentioned they are all well over 90 years of age unless it was a disease like cancer and then still a lot of them are over 80. I was always under the impression they had a hard life,but obviously not, as this dosn't tally with the way  "normal" people who suffer hardships and stress seem to die a lot younger. Perhaps its the diet or all the ciggies they smoke,especially the priests!!

[letrangere]

Val, there's a thought, I've never read the obituaries in a French newspaper, must do that.

Nuns traditionally go on forever.  I went to a convent school and with one exception, all the nuns were 60+ many much, much older.  But still teaching!  Being a priest must be more stressful, imagine the size of your average parish in rural France.  But all that meditative contemplation must help.

M

[Cjb]

Surely it can't be related to hard work if personnel de service (36,2 ans) come off so badly??

[Dick Smith]

It may be related to retirement age. Only 1% of primary teachers in the UK are over 60, but teachers who go on to 65 have a life expectancy of 2-3 years (or so my union used to tell us). Basically, the earlier you retire the longer you live. May give you an insight into the longevity of priests etc?