The Paradox of Declining Female Happiness

Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers

American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 2009, vol. 1, issue 2, 190-225

Abstract: The lives of women in the United States have improved over the past 35 years by many objective measures, yet we show that measures of subjective well-being indicate that women's happiness has declined both absolutely and relative to men. This decline in relative wellbeing is found across various datasets, measures of subjective wellbeing, demographic groups, and industrialized countries. Relative declines in female happiness have eroded a gender gap in happiness in which women in the 1970s reported higher subjective well-being than did men. These declines have continued and a new gender gap is emerging -- one with higher subjective well-being for men. (JEL I31, J16, J28)

JEL-codes: I31 J16 J28 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2009
Note: DOI: 10.1257/pol.1.2.190
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (216)

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Related works:
Working Paper: The Paradox of Declining Female Happiness (2009)
Working Paper: The paradox of declining female happiness (2009)
Working Paper: The Paradox of Declining Female Happiness (2009)
Working Paper: The Paradox of Declining Female Happiness (2009)
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