Chart 2. Rate of Disability by Gender and County type. Looking at gender we see a trend similar to the overall breakdown. Lower rates of disability for both men and women in metropolitan (11.4% and 12% respectively) counties with higher rates in micropolitan (15.6% and 15.3%) and the highest rates in noncore (18.2% and 17.3%). We see that rates are higher for women in urban counties and higher for men in rural counties.

Since the majority of our population is now urban the urban population is indicative of the population in general. Women in urban areas have higher rates of disability.

The percentage of the disability population that is male is lower in metropolitan counties (47.5%) and higher in micropolitan (49.8%) and noncore counties (50.7%). However, for women the percentage of the disability population is higher in metropolitan (52.5%) and lower in micropolitan (50.2%) and noncore (49.3%). So in general it seems that the urban population of people with disabilities trends towards female whereas the rural population of people with disabilities tends to be more male.

This is basically a reconfirmation of the above data. But the men in rural areas will be more likely to do dangerous jobs, like ones which are agriculture related. This would explain why men have a higher rate of disability.

But in urban areas, men would be still more likely to be doing more dangerous or physically demanding work then women. Despite this, overall more women claim to have disabilities.

If the rate of disability was broken down into type of work and gender, it would definitely prove that women malinger more.

So we can see if both men and women are paying into disability, despite doing more dangerous jobs, men will not receive back what they put in.

http://rtc.ruralinstitute.umt.edu/research-findings/geography/rate-disability-gender/