Turkish women's life expectancy passes 80

ANKARA

For Hatice Kocagoz the key to a long life is a natural diet and an outdoor lifestyle of working in the sunshine.

The 85-year-old has been living and working in her village in western Turkey’s Manisa province for the past 70 years.

According to the latest data from the Turkish Statistic Institute (TurkStat), many more Turkish women will soon be joining her in living well into their 80s.

For the first time, women in Turkey can expect to live past 80 -- a life expectancy that is six years higher than that of Turkish men. Fifteen years ago, life expectancy for women was 74.

The breakthrough, revealed Wednesday, means that Turkey has joined an elite group of countries, including Switzerland, Japan and Australia, where women can expect to see their 80th birthday and beyond.

“The secret is eating a lot of organic fruit and vegetables,” Hatice said. “Work for two hours in the morning on the farm and then back to the home to relax and work two more hours in the afternoon.”

Hatice said she was known for her healthy octogenarian look among other women in the village. “They always ask me my secret and I always tell them ‘Respect yourself, your body. Do not put anything in you that could damage you.’”

The presence of energetic grandchildren is another must for a long life, according to Hatice. “A grandchild will keep you around longer,” she told Anadolu Agency.

TurkStat said Turkish men are gradually catching up with their female counterparts. “The difference in life expectancy at birth was 5.4 years in 2014, down from 5.7 years in 2013,” the agency said in a statement.

Across the country, women in the eastern province of Tunceli have highest life expectancy at 85.7 years while Agri, further to the east, women have the lowest level at 77.5 years.

Ali Esgin, a sociologist at Inonu University in Malatya, said the new figures need careful analysis to tailor services for a longer-living population.

“We need to look at the data of life expectancy for women carefully,” he said. “A detailed analysis is needed on the changing perception and standard of life across the regions. It seems that we need to have a new legal framework and adequate services for them.”

Turkey’s aging population has long been the subject of much debate within the country. According to UN projections, the elderly population will reach 10.2 percent by 2023, rising to 20.8 percent by 2050 and 27.7 percent in 2075.