A woman's work is never done

Estonian women are learning more and working more. Estonian men are getting more and more stupid and dying sooner, but still earning more than women. Such are the findings of the latest Eurostat report, which looks at the lives of men and women all over Europe.

The report finds that Estonian women are typical of those in Eastern Europe: compared to their sisters in the west, they marry, have children and die younger, after lengthy stints as widows, since all of the men are dying before them - and there are less of them anyway. Many in fact do so long before them; Estonia is second only to Lithuania in the number of teenage boys dying in accidents. (And despite the fact that it is second to none in the number of teenage girls dying in the same way.)

In terms of education and employment, Estonian women benefit from the legacy of the Soviet Union: while post-graduate studies elsewhere in Europe are dominated by men, Estonia is one of the very few countries in which there are more women doing PhDs; and the only country in the EU in which the number of men and women in work are equal. Mind you, this could have something to do with the fact that the lads are popping their clogs so soon - on average 11.2 years before the lasses - which could also explain why Estonia's ladies are considered the hardest-working on the continent.

The rest of the report, which in fact makes for interest reading, goes on to talk about the differences in pay between men and women and the way certain professions are categorised as "women's" and other jobs as "men's", and treated accordingly (i.e. outrageously). Click on the link below to read it in Estonian, or find it in English on the Internet... somewhere.

http://www.delfi.ee/news/paevauudised/eesti/article.php?id=18415321

Pain in the arse

Probing the deepest recesses of male health, Estonian men are being invited to take part in a pilot project of screening tests for prostate cancer.

The project is the first of its kind in the country, with such tests to date having been aimed exclusively at women to combat breast and cervical cancer. However, the prostate has now overtaken the lungs in the race to claim the number one cancer title in men in Estonia, as is the case elsewhere in Europe, and medical professionals are pushing early diagnosis and prevention - because unlike the rest of Europe, Estonia holds a dubious record when it comes to the disease.

“Estonia has the highest rate of deaths from prostate cancer of any country in the world,” revealed men's doctor Margus Punab. “Those who are being diagnosed are being diagnosed too late.” Punab says that a diagnosis must be made within ten years of the cancer developing to ensure the possibility of successful treatment.

Punab says that unlike in countries such as the United States where screening programmes are in place and as little as 1% of men are diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer, 99% of whom in turn beat the disease, the figures in Estonia remain unnecessarily high (and low, as applicable). He calls on men the length and breadth of the country to get tested.

Mati Kuusemäe from the University of Tartu Hospital's men's clinic advocates screening for older men in particular. He says the while the clinic is mostly approached by men between 25 and 30 with prostate infections, its doctors are inviting older men to take part in the project as around 80% of 80-year-old men typically suffer from prostate cancer.

“The average Estonian male simply won't go to see his doctor,” Kuusemäe said. “He just tells himself that the pain will go away. But all men should be paying us a visit. Get over the idea that it's something to be ashamed of!”

That, however, may be easier said than done. A vox populi conducted by Eesti Päevaleht revealed that even those men in the high risk group who have experienced other serious illnesses are unlikely to heed the doctors' calls.

“Nothing wrong with my health,” said Väino, 74. “I had a heart attack, and an operation, but I get by, and what else can you do. I go to the doctor twice and a year and he checks my heart, but it's not like I have anything else wrong with me.” When asked whether he would take part in the prostate cancer screening pilot programme, Väino said: “I shouldn't think so. I doubt I've got anything like that. Everything seems to be working alright, what's down there.”

http://www.epl.ee/artikkel/406873