Is it more typical for women to have hearing loss than men?

Question: Is it more typical for women to have hearing loss than men?

Answer: Actually, it is the opposite. Average onset of age-related hearing loss in women occurs 15–20 years later than in men. However, women will often seek help for their hearing loss before men do. Perhaps women are more aware of the effects of hearing loss and are, therefore, more apt to intervene. Coping with hearing loss is different from dealing with other disabilities, since hearing loss is an invisible condition and frequently unrecognized by health care professionals. An estimated 299 million men and 239 million women globally have moderate or worse hearing loss. Hearing loss is the third leading cause of “years lost” due to disability worldwide. First place is depression. It is not surprising to see that hearing loss and depression coexist for many people for many reasons.