This from the New York Times:
There appears to be a growing happiness gap between men and women.
Two new research papers, using very different methods, have both come to this conclusion. They have looked at the traditional happiness data, in which people are simply asked how satisfied they are with their overall lives. In the early 1970s, women reported being slightly happier than men. Today, the two have switched places.
Any ideas on what' going on?
2007-10-12 14:29:45 · 20 answers · asked by c'mon, cliffy 5 in Social Science ➔ Gender Studies
Someone at the NYT ran out of coffee, so they didn't feel like reading the report and just skimmed it. There was also something about people not really paying attention to things like "margins of error" and small print. http://feministing.com/archives/007845.html
This is just another case of the media doing a very poor job of science reporting.
2007-10-12 14:35:56 · answer #1 · answered by random6x7 6 · 4⤊ 2⤋
The feministing link makes much of the statistical weakness of the article:
"a complicated statistical model (called an "ordered probit") to the whole sequence of survey results from 1972 to 2006, and this analysis suggests that women have become a little tiny bit less happy relative to men over that whole time period."
Given the whoppers that feminists have told over the decades, their sudden fastidiousness about statistics seems a bit like Charles Manson calling Hillary Clinton manipulative.
2007-10-13 00:09:24 · answer #2 · answered by G-zilla 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Economic changes dictate that women have to work as well, this puts an added load on their shoulders. Let me get straight with it,,,I am not happy because as a married woman I am restricted from so much, i cannot just have the type of friends I want, I have to live his life and take care of babies as well as him and still work hard for my money because he is not giving me any if I do not work. I am overloaded with too much work, I have lost touch with topical issues, no time to read my newspaper or watch news I am always running todo stuff that only I will do. I have no much support from society because everyone believes a womans role is to do everything. I think I speak for most women.
2007-10-12 22:56:59 · answer #3 · answered by lavagal.com 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I have no idea. I don't agree with the general trend of the study because I am a woman and I'm only seeming to get happier, but it could be due to depression rates being higher for women as a group. It also may have something to do with marriage rates. In the 70s, it was much more common to have lots and lots of married people who expected to be married for life. These days there are plenty of people in longterm relationships, but that doesn't necessarily mean they are married, or that they will get married. The divorce rate is also higher. I think that women in general have a harder time with issues surrounding marriage and divorce than men do, especially if there are children involved.
2007-10-12 21:37:42 · answer #4 · answered by mommylicious 2 · 4⤊ 2⤋
Yep, men just keep getting happier and happier. They no longer have to buy the cow, they get all the milk they want for free. Besides that, the woman will move right in and start keepin house for him. She has a good job and pays all the bills. Shoot, she can't wait to have his babies and brag that she doesn't have to make a man marry her just because she's pregnant. Yeeeee Haaawwwww!
2007-10-12 23:13:31 · answer #5 · answered by Miz D 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Because we are moving backwards in women's right issues. I mean MEN are given the power to decide whether we can abort an embryo that is unwanted. Men make more money even if not as qualified or with the same qualifications(true story it happened to me) Men still get away with abusing us, and using us. In the 70's it was all about the free love, psychodelic drugs and being who you really are. Now adays it is all about conformity, being an anorexic twig with no body to be beautiful, or having to have celebrity hair styles. Men and women are to blame for that dont get me wrong. But it needs to stop
2007-10-12 23:09:06 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 2⤋
These survey people get huge grants for meaningless research! They go out and ask their friends what they think about a subject then multiply that by 100. I've never been asked my opinion about anything so the research is mostly BS. You cant get accurate results by surveying a handful of people but the research people don't care as long as they're paid! So don't believe the hype! Good luck!
2007-10-12 21:39:45 · answer #7 · answered by Rowdy answers 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Well, I believe the percent of men employed is going down while the percent of women employed is going up...could that have something to do with the data? I know I'd probably be happier if I didn't have to work.
2007-10-13 01:56:06 · answer #8 · answered by Janineisacoolsouthernchick 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Here's an e-mail that I just received from one of the anti-feminist trolls here. He sure doesn't sound happy to me: LOL
From: ¢rim€ £ord
Subject: ...
Message: First of all, I get hit on by women a lot. And I never ever saw a girl ask a guy out. Even all my guy friends have been the ones asking the girls out and all the girl friends I have didn't make the first move, you stupid *****. (That's payback for the time you insulted me.) I have plenty of money and could care less about paying first. It's funny though; when the man has to spend his money on the woman, it's ''no biggie'' to you feminists, but when a woman earns a mere $0.20 less, it's the end of the world!
And stop making sh!t up. You never beat 3 men with knives. You have a neck problem which fvcked you up your entire life so now you hate men and make up stories about how strong you are. Simple as that. It explains why when someone asks ''What do you hate about women?'' You call them a misogynist, but when someone asks the same question for men, you're happy to say you hate their lust for power.
Btw, you say masculists want more rights for men--feminists want more for women.
P.S. So why am I blocked? As soon as I asked that question you blocked me.
P.S.S. What will you do now?
(a) Call me a misogynist
(b) Call me gay
(c) Say I have a small penis
(d) Make this private message public
(e) All of the above/or a combination of the above
(f) Other
2007-10-12 21:44:35 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 4⤋
You know why because women have been empowered nowadays. With that additional load to the usual wife and mother thing comes other new problems like family breakups since women's time is not only focused on the family because she attends also to the career she's holding.
With bigger responsibilities comes sophisticated burdens. With these burdens comes stress. And with stress comes the sloping down of happiness in women.
2007-10-12 21:38:05 · answer #10 · answered by Madam Kikay 1 · 2⤊ 2⤋