On a grey morning in Oldham town centre, Susan takes a quick cigarette break after shopping for her sister who is coming out of hospital. She's only 58-years-old but will now require 24-hour care.
The mum is also desperately trying to support her youngest son, who lost his girlfriend last year. She was only in her 30s. Now Susan is having to help her son find a new place to live, as he can scarcely afford the £500 rent he and his partner had taken on together.
According to a new report, women like Susan face a lower life expectancy than women in Colombia, Latvia and Hungary. Figures reveal that life expectancy for women living in the poorest 10 per cent of areas in England - such as parts of Oldham - is lower than in any other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) country, except Mexico.
