The Paradox of Declining Female Happiness

Justin Wolfers and Betsey Stevenson

No 7311, CEPR Discussion Papers from Centre for Economic Policy Research

Abstract: By many objective measures the lives of women in the United States have improved over the past 35 years, yet we show that measures of subjective well-being indicate that women?s happiness has declined both absolutely and relative to men. The paradox of women?s declining relative well-being is found across various datasets, measures of subjective well-being, and is pervasive across demographic groups and industrialized countries. Relative declines in female happiness have eroded a gender gap in happiness in which women in the 1970s typically 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.

Keywords: Gender; Happiness; Job satisfaction; Life satisfaction; Subjective well-being; Women's movement (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D6 I32 J1 J7 K1 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2009-06
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (216)

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Related works:
Journal Article: 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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