Women Less Happy Now Than 30 Years Ago

Frowny Face: Women Are Way More Bummed Than We Were Thirty Years Ago

Posted by: Olivia Allin Filed in: news
6:00AM, Saturday June 13th 2009

A new study conducted by the National Bureau of Economic Research and the University of Pennsylvania and presented by economists Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers, shows that both sex’s happiness levels have decreased over the past few decades, but women’s “subjective well-being” has declined “absolutely” and in relation to men. This is only a big deal because the same study was done in the 1970s and women reported higher levels of happiness than they do today! Is it because they were stoned out of their minds? Is it because feminism never really worked out? The research study didn’t come up with any conclusions but had loads of hypotheses…but not as many that have come up since it was released last month! Read on to hear the theories.

New York Times columnist Ross Douthat offered his opinion on the study, “The achievements of the feminist era may have delivered women to greater unhappiness.” He also believes that the de-stigmatization of single motherhood “threatens the interests and happiness of women.” He also wondered if women, who “prefer egalitarian, low-risk societies,” were made anxious by “the cowboy capitalism of the Reagan era.”
One of the most provocative theories raised in the study were that the “the women’s movement raised women’s expectations faster than society was able to meet them, they would be more likely to be disappointed by their actual experienced lives. As women’s expectations move into alignment with their experiences, this decline in happiness may reverse,” i.e. it’s impossible to actually “have it all” so chill out and enjoy what you have.
The second most talked about statement was, “[When] we disaggregate the fertility results to consider trends in happiness separately among single parents and married parents ... we see similar trends in happiness ... casting doubt on the hypothesis that trends in marriage and divorce, single parenthood or work/family balance are at the root of the happiness declines among women,” i.e. working mothers, and especially single working mothers are increasingly common and the demands are overwhelming. Um duh.
Los Angeles Times writer Meghan Daum has her own theory, “I immediately had a scapegoat too: Angelina Jolie. Her entire Oscar-winning, serial-adopting, Brad Pitt-snagging, plane-piloting, unattainably hot-looking existence makes women around the world feel hopelessly inadequate and therefore unhappy.”
My theory: I feel like the 1970s were more fun because everything seemed new and hopeful, flattering bell-bottoms and baseball tees were in style, and free-love was still um…free sans the fear (or knowledge) of AIDS and other sexually transmitted dangers. Why do you think we’re unhappy? Are we unhappy? Can’t we just cheer up ladies?! There’s a whole Lifetime Movie Network now! Oh wait, maybe that’s why we’re depressed?

comments

wonder_bread
wrote on June 13 2009 @ 08:01 am: [report]

i can’t help but not be surprised… im for feminism but in the same breaht i adore some of the old fashion standarads.. i think in the process of trying to be equal we all (male and female) forgot to uphold the good parts of the decades before us.. i don know a woman around me who wouldn’t like to treated as a lady and repected for her classines and just feminity(sp).. we lost sight of what wasnt’ wrong and never went back to claim wat was right…

of course there are always exception to the rule. there were issues back then that are still issues now silent domestic abuse, woman being taken advantage of, memn having to fit the man’s man shoes instead of just being them, but every era has issues. i wouldn’t midn mixing now with them.. being a little more tolerant but still having values and standards…

becktasm
wrote on June 13 2009 @ 09:53 am: [report]

Ignorance is bliss, maybe? Or maybe it has something to do with the fact that globally women do 2/3 of all the work, but receive only 1/10th of the pay. Not only are women now expected to have full time jobs (for less pay, mind you), but also to still be the primary caretaker of the home and the children. Facts: I haz them. That, combined with the ever-increasingly unrealistic standards the media applies to us- love cleaning! love babies! be thin, but never hungry! work out constantly! have huge breasts! DON’T AGE!- may be the root of the problem. Now that we’re realizing our full potential and completely disenchanted with the feminine mystique, society (not to mention the economy) needs a new way to keep our self-esteem low and our labor cheap. Don’t underestimate the power of the media. It tells us what is normal, what is beautiful, and what is good. And the environment we’re raising our little girls in right now does not bode well for our future.

canadiancutie
wrote on June 13 2009 @ 09:53 am: [report]

““[When] we disaggregate the fertility results to consider trends in happiness separately among single parents and married parents ... we see similar trends in happiness ... casting doubt on the hypothesis that trends in marriage and divorce, single parenthood or work/family balance are at the root of the happiness declines among women,” i.e. working mothers, and especially single working mothers are increasingly common and the demands are overwhelming. Um duh.”

Um, actually, what this means is that women today are less happy, regardless of marital status or personal circumstances.

My view is that women today are expected to be TOO much (too thin, too pretty, Top Chefs, Perfect Moms, Betty Homemakers, too passive and unwilling to complain, too go-getting, too virginal and unobtainable, too slutty and provocative), remember that people are more likely now to use pictures in their memorials of their younger selves because aging has become less societally accepted? I think all of the conflicting demands become just too MUCH, and psychologically assault women. All of this and keeping up with the times (reading the latest books and articles, buying all the trendiest clothes), eats up whatever leisure time we have left leaving us LITERALLY less rested than we were before! I mean, when was the last time you got a full 8 hours sleep for a week or more? Your last vacation right? When you didn’t have internet access?

... Exactly.

becktasm
wrote on June 13 2009 @ 09:55 am: [report]

CanadianCutie, I believe we are on the same page.

erikasf
wrote on June 14 2009 @ 11:06 am: [report]

I tend to blame economic factors. Wages for working folks peaked about 30 years ago. The cost of living is so high now, and good jobs are hard to come by. I am not just talking about the current recession/depression here, but a long term pattern of the last few decades.
I am a member of Generation X, and the Baby Boomers I speak with tell me how much easier it was to be able to live when they were young. You could work part-time and still pay rent. Now, you work full-time and can’t pay rent!
That said, I certainly believe that feminism has had a positive effect on society and women. I have it all, and am grateful.

Backliteyes
wrote on June 14 2009 @ 06:38 pm: [report]

I’ve generally made a pact with myself to not try to be everything. If I have a fast-paced career that takes more than 40 hours a week, I’m damn well going to hire someone to clean my house one a week. If I become a house-wife I’m not going to pine over that career path I gave up. It’s just not worth it, especially when these facts tell you that it’s not perfection you achieve as a result of running yourself ragged, it’s just unhappiness.

sadie
wrote on June 15 2009 @ 08:12 am: [report]

A lot of good observations. I think expectations are too high but I also agree with @erikasf, economics have a lot to do with this.

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