The happiness gap between men and women has narrowed, with suggestions that feminism could be making women less happy according to wellbeing figures.
The statistics reported by the Telegraph revealed that women are still marginally happier than men and have continued to get happier. The results found that the happiness gap between men and women is now less than half what it was in 2012. This year was the first year on record where the happiness gap was statistically insignificant.
The Telegraph reported Dr Niall Campbell, consultant psychiatrist at the Priory’s Hospital in Roehampton, south-west London, as saying: “Women have traditionally been happier than men but the female patients I see tend to exhibit more anxiety as they face the pressure of combining work with children and caring for elderly parents.
“Equality in the workplace has undoubtedly been a very good thing, but it has left women facing the more negative aspects of corporate life like high levels of alcohol consumption, stress, fewer hours to run a home and raise a family, and potentially an unhealthy diet.”
According to Dr Campbell many women struggle with insecurities about their appearances in a social media, “youth-obsessed” age.
He reportedly said: “We know that the gap in life expectancy between men and women has now dropped to less than four years. Women have historically lived much longer than men, but that is changing as men give up heavy manual labour and more women take on the stress of work.
“So for women, the stress of commuting to work, rushing home for children, long working days, a feeling they must contribute to the household finances and a sedentary lifestyle in an office, can all take their toll on health.”
He added: “I would say that men on the other hand worry considerably less about their appearance and body shape and how people see them, and are generally more ‘cup half full’ about their job prospects and the future.
“Many have outside interests like doing sport, or watching it, which provide emotional diversion. For women I would say that is much less the case.”
