The aim of the article was to analyze gender differences in mortality in 117 Brazilian municipalities from 1983 to 2005, based on three groups of causes of avoidable death: (1) avoidable through early diagnosis and treatment, (2) avoidable by improvements in quality of treatment and medical care, and (3) ischemic heart disease. The association between avoidable mortality and demographic and socioeconomic conditions and healthcare variables was analyzed through negative binomial regression. The multiple decrement technique was used to evaluate the impact of avoidable causes on life expectancy for men and women. Men showed a higher risk of death for all three groups of avoidable causes, after controlling for selected variables. Women would gain more than men, with an increase of up to five years in life expectancy, if avoidable causes were eliminated by diagnosis and early treatment. Further research is needed in gender-related factors, which may be related to differential mortality rates in men and women.