Age-at-death disparity and sex gap in average length of life among the oldest-old in Italy. An analysis of Italian cohorts born between 1890 and 1919

The increase in life expectancy is generally associated with greater lifespan equality, but this is not always true, especially among the elderly, as seen in the case we are examining. This is what we show in this research through the reconstruction of a series of life tables for the oldest-old from the cohorts born between 1890 and 1919, starting from age 85. To date, only the 1890–1911 cohorts can be considered extinct, so the study of the sex-based mortality gap focuses on these cohorts, while all cohorts are considered in the study of age-at-death disparities. Both absolute and relative standard statistical measures were used as indicators, highlighting inconsistencies between absolute and relative measures in this final section of cohort life tables. Our findings reveal an evolution of mortality characterized by cohort effects, especially among older cohorts and to an overall decline in the mortality occurring in the context of two different ageing patterns for the two sexes. The outcomes not only show an increasing mortality male excess in, but also significant disparities in the average inter-individual differences in lifespan.