Clerics die, doctors survive - A note on death risks among highly educated professionals
Aims The death rate of medical doctors was one of the highest among the professions in England in the late 19th century, while the death rate of the clergy was the lowest. We here present relative death risks of clerics, doctors and other educational groups in Sweden today, and make a comparison to 19th-century England.
Methods Relative death risks from Cox regressions are reported for 12 occupational or educational groups in the ages 30-64.
Results Those with a theological exam show higher risks of dying during the follow-up period compared to others with a similar educational level. On the other hand, medical doctors have relatively low death risks, although professors in medicine deviate by having high risks. Professors in other subjects experience the lowest death risks of all identified groups.
Conclusions The death risk pattern among clerics and doctors seems to be reversed in present-day Sweden compared to England a hundred years ago. This may reflect changes in working conditions as well as the prestige of the occupations.
Keywords: Mortality, occupations, education, health inequality
Erikson, R., Torssander, J.