Abstract
WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ON THIS TOPIC? Little is known about gender differences in health, family, and socioeconomics among oldest-old in China. WHAT IS ADDED BY THIS REPORT? This study aims to fill this knowledge gap through analyzing gender differences in familial status, socioeconomics, functional capacities, and self-reported wellbeing using the 1998, 2008-2009, and 2017-2018 waves of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey. We found that compared with the male oldest-old, the female oldest-old are seriously disadvantaged in familial status, socioeconomics, and capacities of activities of daily living, physical performances, cognitive function, and self-reported wellbeing. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH PRACTICE? We discussed possible contributing reasons for our findings and strongly suggest that the female oldest-old should be prioritized higher.