The Gendering of Infectious Disease: Classifying Male and Female Causes of Death in the Netherlands and Norway, 1880-1910

Abstract

This article explores sex and gender patterns in mortality, based on individual-level causes of death (CODs) in two urban communities, obtained from civil and parish registers. By analysing CODs for the period 1880-1910 for Roosendaal (Netherlands) and Trondheim (Norway) we investigate how notions of sex and gender were reflected in cause-specific mortality rates for adults and in the registration of CODs by local authorities. Our findings show (i) excess male mortality among age group 15-70, (ii) airborne infectious diseases were responsible for most deaths in both cities, but did not show a distinct gender pattern, (iii) TB appeared to be more location-specific than gender-specific. However, the level of variation and specification in TB COD terms was higher among women in both locations.