Men Happier with Life Than are Women as They Become
Senior Citizens
Nine out of 10 people of both genders reach adult
life wanting a happy marriage
July
29, 2008 Less able to achieve their goals in life, women end up
unhappier than men as they become senior citizens even though the
women start out happier, according to new research by Anke Plagnol of
the University of Cambridge, and University of Southern California
economist Richard Easterlin.
These conclusions, along with many more on how
people change with age, are to be presented in the Journal of Happiness
Studies, which is the first to use nationally representative data
spanning several decades to examine the role of unfulfilled desires in a
person's sense of well-being.
As the researchers explain, expectations of success
may vary among those raised in different generations (i.e., an economic
depression). Data sets from a range of time periods may also have
different demographic compositions.
In their analysis, the researchers control for
birth groups and demographic characteristics such as race and education.
They find that women are, on average, happier than men in early
adulthood but the glow wears off with time. Specifically, after the
age of 48, men's overall happiness exceeds women's happiness.
These gender patterns of overall happiness
correlate to patterns in two significant aspects of life satisfaction:
family and finances.
As Plagnol says that in later life it is "men [who]
come closer to fulfilling their aspirations, are more satisfied with
their family lives and financial situations, and are the happier of the
two."
Women and men have fairly similar life goals when
it comes to love, the study reveals. Nine out of 10 people of both
genders reach adult life wanting a happy marriage.
"Differences between men and women in aspirations
for marriage and children are fairly small," says Plagnol, who received
her Ph.D. from USC in 2007. "Gender differences in satisfaction depend
largely on attainment."
The saddest period of the average man's life his
20s is also the period when he is most likely to be single.
Young men are also more dissatisfied than young
women with their financial situations, not because they are worse off,
but because they want more and therefore experience a greater
"shortfall," the researchers explain.
But age alters many things, including men's money
woes and lackluster love lives.
After 34, men are more likely to be married than
women, and the gap only widens with age, mirroring men's growing
satisfaction with family life.
Men also become more satisfied with their financial
situations over time, as reflected in their increased spending power.
The researchers found that men tend to covet big-ticket items that might
not be within reach until later in life, such as a car or vacation home.
A notable exception: women want more "nice clothes"
than men, the researchers found.
These findings are consistent with an earlier study
by Easterlin showing that recent generations are less satisfied than
previous generations, despite having more.
"Of course, one doesn't have to be married to be
happy, but if that's something you really want and it is for most
people then the failure to attain it can have an impact on your
overall happiness," Plagnol says, adding that those in a relationship
also tend to be in a stronger financial position than those who must
depend solely on their own resources.
Some age milestones:
● 41: Age at which men's financial satisfaction
exceeds women's financial satisfaction
● 48: Age at which men's overall happiness
exceeds women's overall happiness
● 64: Age at which men's satisfaction with family
life exceeds women's satisfaction
Editors Notes:
Plagnol, Anke C. and Richard A. Easterlin,
"Aspirations, Attainments, and Satisfaction: Life Cycle Differences
Between American Women and Men." Journal of Happiness Studies; DOI:
10.1007/s10902-008-9106-5.
Keep up with the latest news for senior citizens, baby
boomers
July
29, 2008 Less able to achieve their goals in life, women end up
unhappier than men as they become senior citizens even though the
women start out happier, according to new research by Anke Plagnol of
the University of Cambridge, and University of Southern California
economist Richard Easterlin.