Health: Why Keeping Little Girls Squeaky Clean Could Make Them Sick

Girls are expected to stay squeaky clean while boys are encouraged to play outside .... And that might explain why women have higher rates of certain illnesses.

Women have a higher rate of asthma than men — 8.5 percent compared to 7.1 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They're also more likely than men to have allergies. And the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association says autoimmune disorders affect women three times more often than men.

For more, see Why Keeping Little Girls Squeaky Clean Could Make Them Sick by Whitney Blair Wyckoff, February 3, 2011 at NPR.