Why Do Women Experience Depression More?
By Brianna Skappel
Fifteen percent of the US population experiences depression at some point in their life. There are more than 17,000,000 diagnosed individuals currently experiencing depression in the United States, and over 300,000,000 experiencing depression worldwide. On top of this, women are twice as likely to experience depression. Therefore, a majority of the large numbers seen above represent women.
Why do women experience depression more?
There are a large set of factors that impact the onset of depression, such as biological, psychological, and social influences. For women, there are some explanations for how these factors can strongly influence rates of depression.
Depression can be seen in families, suggesting a heritable genetic component. Although, only about 50% of depression is linked to a genetic cause. More research is needed to better understand whether a particular gene or genes is to blame for heritable depression. The genetic component is not exclusive to females, but important to point out. Another biological factor that is theorized to have an impact is hormones, as females begin to experience depression early during puberty. Other hormone changes, such as pregnancy and postpartum are also seen to precede depressive episodes. It is unclear what hormones are responsible for this impact, but there is a possible causal link.
Psychological factors likely account for about half of all depression. This means that our thoughts, behaviors, and experiences in the world have an impact on mental health. Negative thoughts about how you are viewed by others can be a common feature in individuals with depression. People who are more prone to focusing on negative things that happen during their day, ignoring the positives, create a negative view of their world and influence depression. They may have automatic thoughts and assumptions that focus on the worst outcomes, leading them to have a bleak view of life. Overtime, thinking negative thoughts can lead people to believe that much of their world is out of their own control. Beliefs like having little control or the view that you cannot change your life can lead many to feelings of learned helplessness, a strong factor in development of depression. For example, waking up and feeling like the world is happening “to you” and not because of what you do may result in a person falsely believing they have no ability to change their circumstances. These occurrences and negative thinking patterns can be more common in women. Society teaches women to focus on how others perceive them (e.g., how they look or how they act), causing a heightened self-awareness, and often incorrect view of themselves that turns negative. These negative thinking patterns cause persistent distress that takes a major toll on a woman’s psychological health.
Social pressures like unequal power or unbalanced work in and outside of the home are linked to depression in women. It is also because of society that certain female experiences, such as pregnancy, become so stressful. Aspects of pregnancy influenced by society would include pressures to get pregnant, which may be made worse with infertility, lack of social support, and pressures to stay home and raise children, creating tension at work or with lifestyle choices. Postpartum issues such as feeling like a bad mom compared to others, anxiety about your child, and frustration due to not having the “wonderful” experience others describe are all caused by social pressures on women to be perfect mothers. Other social factors such as inequality and workplace discrimination can cause high levels of stress with wage disparities, especially for single mothers trying to juggle home responsibilities, work, and financial responsibilities. American society dictates that women are more passive and males more aggressive and in power, creating a power difference that can lead to violence against women, or a sense of being powerless. Dealing with violence or feelings of powerlessness can be taxing psychologically and also lead to learned helplessness.
It is important to challenge these social pressures, and seek equality and security.
Women experience many unique circumstances, whether it be influences of society, negative psychological traits, or biological factors. Individually, these circumstances increase ones risk for development of depression. Altogether, these factors lead to higher rates of depression among women. With odds stacked against women, it is important to proactively work to keep positive psychological views, challenge harmful social pressures, and seek help when needed.
References
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Levinson, D. F., Nichols, W. E. (2020). Major depression and genetics. Stanford Medicine. https://med.stanford.edu/depressiongenetics/mddandgenes.html
Mayo Clinic Staff. (2019, January 29). Depression in women: Understanding the gender gap. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/in-depth/depression/art-20047725
McLeod, S. A. (2015, January 14). Psychological theories of depression. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/depression.html
Morin, A. (2020, March 21). Depression statistics everyone should know. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/depression-statistics-everyone-should-know-4159056
Psychology Today. (2020). Learned Helplessness. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/learned-helplessness