2014 Articles

Women’s Declining Happiness in the 20th Century

Fox, Candace

Warning to American women in the twenty-first century: your happiness is on the decline, feminism has something to do with it, and yes, it is reversible. This writing shows how the Women’s Movement prompted the decline in the happiness of women relative to men, and how individual and systemic barriers to social equality continue to contribute to this decline. It also discusses how, in order to break down these barriers, reverse this negative trend, and allow women to maximize their happiness, women’s leadership must continue and transform. One significant change is for women to embrace leadership in the public sphere, which includes opting out of the public labor force less than they do today.