Mortality is the fact that living things must eventually die, and it can also mean the rate at which deaths occur in a population. It is often used in health and statistics to talk about the seriousness of diseases or conditions.
From Old French “mortalité,” from Latin “mortalitas,” meaning “state of being mortal, subject to death,” from “mortalis,” “liable to die,” from “mors,” “death.”
Mortality is a cold-sounding word for a universal truth: everything alive is on a timer. We use it in statistics and policy partly because turning death into numbers is one way humans try to face something that’s otherwise overwhelming.
Discussions of mortality have often ignored gendered differences in health risks, maternal mortality, and violence against women and gender minorities. Historical data collection has sometimes undercounted or misclassified deaths among marginalized groups.
When discussing mortality, specify gendered patterns and structural causes rather than treating all populations as homogeneous. Avoid implying that higher mortality in certain groups is natural rather than socially influenced.
Highlight the work of women and gender-diverse health researchers and activists who have exposed gender gaps in mortality and healthcare access.
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