The 7 Reasons Why Depression is More Common in Women

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Depression has become ever more common in recent decades. In the US and UK, the lifetime prevalence of depression (the chance of any one person suffering from depression in the course of his or her lifetime) is about 20 per cent, and the 12-month prevalence (the chance of any one person having suffered from depression in the past 12 months) is about 10 per cent.

However, these headline figures mask an uneven gender distribution, with women around twice as likely to be diagnosed with depression than men.

The reasons for this asymmetry are unclear, and thought to be in parts biological, psychological, and sociocultural.

Biological explanations

1. Compared to men, women are more subjected to fluctuating hormone levels. This is especially the case around the time of childbirth and the menopause, both of which are associated with an increased risk of developing depression.

2. Beyond this, women might also have a stronger genetic predisposition to developing depression.

Psychological explanations

3. Women are more ruminative than men, that is, they tend to think about things more—which, although generally a good thing, may predispose them to developing depression. Men, on the other hand, are more likely to respond to difficult times with apathy, anger, or alcohol or drug misuse

4. Women also tend to be more invested in their relationships, and more dependent upon them, notably for childcare, so that they suffer more from relationship problems.

Sociocultural explanations

5. Women come under greater stress than men. Although they go to work just like men, they also bear the brunt of running a home, bringing up children, and caring for elderly or disabled relatives—and after all that, still have to put up with all the sexism!

6. Women live longer than men, and old age is associated with loneliness, ill health, and precarity.

7. Finally, women are more likely to seek out a diagnosis of depression. They are more likely to consult a doctor and more likely to discuss their feelings with the doctor. Conversely, doctors, both male and female, may be more inclined to diagnose depression in a woman.

Neel Burton is author of Growing from Depression: A Practical and Philosophical Self-Help Guide.