PARIS — Employees everywhere, here’s one more good reason to grumble: Your boss will probably outlive you.
A new study from France’s national statistics bureau (INSEE) quantifies what many might have suspected, also in light of noted correlations between wealth and life expectancy. But the latest French study, which echos similar findings from other countries in recent years, may put a face on the discrepancy for workers. Citing figures from the report, Le Monde noted that while life expectancy across France is on the rise, inequalities persist, notably with managers typically living six years longer than workers.
There is also a correlation between education level and life expectancy, with advanced-degree holders outliving those with fewer academic credentials.
Analogous findings have periodically been noted elsewhere. In Italy, La Repubblica reported back in 2014 about the negative correlation between high education levels, poverty and poor health. A report from the country’s National Institute for Health, Poverty and Migration (NIHMP) suggested that male executives could expect to outlive less qualified workers of the same age and sex by five years.
And in the UK, the British Office for National Statistics found in 2010 that manual laborers were twice as likely as their supervisors to die early.
Still, even if the head honchos of the world have an edge over the masses, there is some consolation for women. On average, they consistently outlive men, regardless of their position on the company totem pole. Moreover, according to the new French study, there is a smaller gap — three years — between life expectancy of women managers and women workers.