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.