America is battling an epidemic of sad and anxious young women.
Despite the increase in our opportunities and freedoms over the past 50 years, we seem to be more depressed than ever.
Studies suggest that around a third of all adult women suffer from some form of mental health problem, compared to a fifth of men.
This is particularly evident in the 18-25 age group, of whom 41 percent are said to suffer from anxiety, according to research from Harvard University.
Over the past six years, the number of women reporting depression increased 10 percent, from 26.2 percent in 2017 to 36.7 percent in 2023, according to one study. Gallup poll of more than 5,000 American adults.
With 20 years of experience as a sociologist, studying American lifestyle patterns as well as their realization over time, I believe I have stumbled upon a possible explanation for this sea of sadness.
It might seem like a controversial view: very few women get married.
Only 28 in 1,000 women were married in the U.S. in 2021, compared to 76 in 1,000 in 1965, Bowling Green University research shows
According to my analysis of U.S. Census data, only 47 percent of women ages 18 to 55 were married in the U.S. in 2022, compared to 72 percent in 1970. Research from State University of Bowling Green shows that marriage rates hit an all-time low in 2021 in the United States, with only 28 of every 1,000 married women marrying each year in the country, down from 76 in the 1970s.
There are countless reasons for this: more career focus, less disposable income, and a shift in social norms are just a few of them.
But the uncomfortable truth is that women who are not married have worse health compared to their married counterparts.
Studies have shown that married women have a lower risk of developing heart illness, they are less likely to die They suffer from heart disease and generally have a longer life expectancy than single women.
A study Tracking a sample of more than 11,000 nurses found that married women are 35 percent less likely to die prematurely than those who did not marry.
The mental health benefits of marriage and having a family of your own have also been well demonstrated in scientific studies.
Dr. Wendy Wang, Institute of Family Studies
About 40 percent of married mothers, both heterosexual and lesbian, under age 55 reported that they were “very happy” with their lives, compared with 22 percent of single women without children and 25 percent of married women without children, according to the 2022 General Social report. Survey. Only 13 percent of divorced women say they have achieved this level of happiness.
It is true, however, that more than one in three couples will divorce. However, it’s worth saying that many divorced couples remarry (up to 64 percent) and studies show that this improves self-reported happiness.
Those who often feel irritated by their partner’s infuriating habits may find this surprising.
But it’s true: Studies have consistently shown that strong social relationships are key to happiness. And research has also shown that, although it may seem stereotypical, spouses provide a stronger bond than any other relationship.
It is true that taking care of children is exhausting work. But extensive research has shown that the rewards outweigh the negatives. Married women also have the advantage of working alongside a devoted partner to share the hard work.
Despite scientific data, social media is doing its part to defame marriage.
On TikTok, videos jokingly depicting marriage as a quick route to household chores like washing dishes, caring for a newborn baby, and cleaning the house are going viral.
The graph shows that a quarter of 40-year-olds in the United States have never been married
Then there’s the glamorization of life without children, much of which is a result of the social media trend of DINKS (which stands for ‘double income without children’).
DINK couples constantly go viral online, showing off their luxurious, fun-filled lives traveling the world and spending excess money that would presumably otherwise be spent on diapers.
These sentiments are being absorbed nationally. According to a 2023 survey, only 24 percent of women under 30 believe that women who get married and have children live fuller, happier lives than those who don’t.
Yes, it is true that men benefit more from marriage than women when it comes to the division of household labor. And women, on average, have been shown to do more emotional labor and spend more time on housework and childcare than their male partners.
But the gap in those measurements has been flattening a bit, as my research of the Institute of family studies (IFS) has demonstrated.
My studies show that dads are more involved than ever in their children’s lives. Fathers’ time with children has increased, while mothers’ time caring for children has remained stable over the past two decades.
American fathers now spend an average of nearly eight hours per week caring for their children at home, while the time mothers spend caring for children is about 13.
As far as I’m concerned, housework is work, and if you add up the number of hours mothers and fathers spend working overall, it’s about the same, on average.
In 2021-2022, work averaged 57 hours per week for both married fathers and mothers with children under 18 years of age.
Additionally, studies that show that married men benefit more from marriage typically compare married men to single men, not married men to married women.
When the comparison group is changed, the happiness level of married men and women is quite similar. About 37 percent of married women under 55 say they are “very happy,” as do 34 percent of married men, according to the IFS. General Social Survey 2022.
Likewise, 40 percent of married mothers report being very happy with their lives, as do 35 percent of married fathers.
Actress Anne Hathaway has promoted the benefits of marriage on a national scale
In 2017, comments made by Hollywood star Anne Hathaway about her marriage to actor and producer Adam Shulman were heavily criticized on social media.
She said ELLE: ‘I think the accepted narrative now is that we, as women, don’t need anyone. But I need my husband. His unique and specific love has changed me.’
The idea that a woman could need one man didn’t sit well with Gen Z feminists on Instagram, who passionately argued that Hathaway was “disappointing” by implying that women can’t be truly happy without a male partner.
But the truth is that sharing your life with another person has unique benefits for your emotional health.
Perhaps this is because married people are known to feel much less lonely than their peers.
He The CDC has identified Loneliness as a contributing factor to a range of diseases, from dementia to stroke, as well as premature death.
Living in social isolation could be as bad for your health as almost a pack of cigarettes a day
You could say that it is possible to overcome loneliness with a stable partner or even a good friend.
But there is a sense of stability that eliminates the anxiety you get with marriage that you don’t get in other long-term relationships. It’s a controversial point, but a big part of it lies in the economic benefits.
Supplementing your income with a partner’s contribution will allow you to lead a much more comfortable life.
In 2022, the median household income for married women ages 18 to 55 was $114,000, but only $54,000 for single and never-married women, according to my analysis of U.S. community data.
Actress Lucy Liu decided to have her son as a single mother through surrogacy in 2015. “I just pulled the trigger. I can think of something easily; “If I think too much, I won’t do it,” she said.
Married women also have more than 10 times The assets that single and never-married women have when they reach age 50, which can help them get closer to retirement.
Marriage is not a magic bullet that cures everything, but the data tells us that the average American woman married with children feels noticeably less lonely and lives a more meaningful and joyful life.
So to millions of young women at the beginning of adulthood: don’t let your fears of failure in love and family, or a slavish devotion to your career, stop you.
Don’t let popular misconceptions keep you from enjoying the benefits of marriage and motherhood.
Prioritize relationships in your twenties, cultivate friendships with other marriage-minded young adults, be open to a relationship that could lead to marriage, and embrace marriage and parenthood when the time comes.