女性的年齡別死亡率多低於男性對應的年齡別死亡率，因此到老年的階段經常是女性多於男生。本文嘗試由老人的罹病特性、疾病發生、死因、功能狀態與健康自評的探討，釐清老年健康狀況的性別差異，探討影響健康變化的因素。分析上主要使用衛生署國民健康局（原家庭計畫研究所）1989年、1993年與1996年的「老人保健調查」。同時應該資料無法提供歷次調查之死亡樣本之死亡原因，代而使用1993-1997年「臺灣地區死亡統計」資料，了解老人的死亡原因。研究發現關節炎、高血壓、腸胃潰瘍、吸呼道疾病、白內障、以及心臟病，是兩性老人罹患率最高的疾病。而疾病與失能之間的關係除了疾病類型之外，年齡是另一個重要的因素，就相同的活動功能，男性老人自評健康為「好」的比率高於女性，而男性自評健康為「不好」的比率則低於女性。其次，自評「不好」的比率隨著年齡增加而增加，自評為「好」的比率則隨著年齡的增加而減少。另外，活動功能愈佳者，自評健康狀況愈好。而男女性的健康狀況差異隨著存活者年齡增加而減少，女性有較早的變他起點，但變化的速度較緩。動動功能以及自評健康狀況與死亡關係，男性在各種功能行動狀態與自評健康狀況者的死亡水準都高於女性，但是兩性的差距也隨存活者年齡的增加而縮減。另一方面，男性的死因分佈較為平均，沒有特別突出的死亡原因，女性則大幅集中在糖尿病、未提及精神病的老衰、及腦血管疾病等前三種死因。至於整體活動轉變，男性老人的各種變動性都超過女性老人，女性老人則相對於男性具有安定、不變的特性。

Given the age specific mortality for women is lower than that of men, feminization of later life is common all societies. Although elderly women keep the lower mortality, he health status for women is not mercenarily better than that for men. This assumption is well accepted, however, very few empirical study, nor though investigation has ever been done due to lack of appropriate data. in this study, first of all, I review the mortality change, elderly population, and the trend of feminization of later life in Taiwan. Secondly, different measures of health status, disease morbidity, and quality of life are used to analyze the gender differences of health status among Taiwan elderly, and to estimate the effects of factors which influence health change. Using the data from Survey of Health and Living Status of the Elderly in Taiwan published by Taiwan Bureau of Health Promotion, I investigate the patterns of diseases, functional status, self-rated health, and the casual relationships among them. In addition, Death Statistics of Taiwan area and the Surveys on the Elder’s Status published by Department of Health are used to analyze the incidences of death. The results from my analyses of these data suggest that both elder man and women have the same pattern of disease: arthritis, hypertension, G-1 peptic ulcer, respiratory diseases, cataract, and heart diseases. Other findings indicate that the association among disease pattern and functional status for men are much stronger than that for women. We also notice that diabetes mellitus, senility without mention of psychosis, and cerebrovascular disease are the main causes of death for women. Additionally, I employ transfer of function status for men and women. The results show that the women is significantly better than men.