Women outlive men -- not ho hum

This was something I was not aware of:

For the first time in history, women now outlive men all around the globe. The milestone is as significant as the eradication of smallpox 30 years ago but is unlikely to be celebrated with the same fanfare, researchers say.

I just assumed women outlived men everywhere since they have done so here in the US for as long as I've been around. Of course, it makes sense that, with the risks of child birth without physicians, the travails of daily life, and the low status of women in less developed countries they would have shorter life spans, but it just hadn't occurred to me.

Three cheers for the women of the world, or, as Maurice Chevalier would say, "Sank heaven for leetle girls..."