journal article Show Journal of Health and Social Behavior Vol. 37, No. 4 (Dec., 1996) , pp. 362-380 (19 pages) Published By: American Sociological Association https://doi.org/10.2307/2137263 https://www.jstor.org/stable/2137263 Read and download Log in through your school or library Monthly Plan
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Abstract Women average higher levels of depression than men. This paper tests the hypothesis that the gender gap in depression grows in adulthood as women and men enter and undergo their unequal adult statuses. The emerging gender stratification hypothesis has three parts: (1) The age increment hypothesis states that the difference in depression between women and men increases in successively older age groups at least until retirement age and perhaps throughout the lifetime; (2) The status mediation hypothesis states that rising sex differences in marital status, employment, housework, child care, and economic strains account for much of the larger gender gap in depression among middle-aged adults than among young adults; (3) The differential change hypothesis states that women's depression drops more slowly than men's in early adulthood, so that the gender gap increases over time as implied by the concurrent differences among age groups. Analyses of three data sets (two from national U.S. samples) support the three component hypotheses. Journal Information Journal of Health and Social Behavior (JHSB) publishes articles that apply sociological concepts and methods to the understanding of health, illness, and medicine in their social context. Its editorial policy favors those manuscripts that build and test knowledge in medical sociology, that show stimulating scholarship and clarity of expression, and which, taken together, reflect the breadth of interests of its readership. Published quarterly in March, June, September, and December. Publisher Information American Sociological Association Mission Statement: Serving Sociologists in Their Work Advancing Sociology as a Science and Profession Promoting the Contributions and Use of Sociology to Society The American Sociological Association (ASA), founded in 1905, is a non-profit membership association dedicated to advancing sociology as a scientific discipline and profession serving the public good. With over 13,200 members, ASA encompasses sociologists who are faculty members at colleges and universities, researchers, practitioners, and students. About 20 percent of the members work in government, business, or non-profit organizations. As the national organization for sociologists, the American Sociological Association, through its Executive Office, is well positioned to provide a unique set of services to its members and to promote the vitality, visibility, and diversity of the discipline. Working at the national and international levels, the Association aims to articulate policy and impleme nt programs likely to have the broadest possible impact for sociology now and in the future. Rights & Usage This item is part of a JSTOR Collection.
A new study by WHO analysis the prevalence of depression in men vs women Image: Photo by Luis Galvez on Unsplash Stay up to date: Mental HealthDiscover What is the World Economic Forum doing about mental health? — World Health Organization — Global Gender Gap Report 2020  Have you read?
— Peter Varnum, Project Lead, Global Health and Healthcare, World Economic Forum License and Republishing World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use. The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum. Global Agenda The Agenda WeeklyA weekly update of the most important issues driving the global agenda SubscribeYou can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails. For more details, review our privacy policy. What age group is most commonly affected by depression?Data from the National Health Interview Survey
The percentage of adults who experienced any symptoms of depression was highest among those aged 18–29 (21.0%), followed by those aged 45–64 (18.4%) and 65 and over (18.4%), and lastly, by those aged 30–44 (16.8%).
How do rates of depression vary by age group and gender?Depression is more than twice as prevalent in young women than men (ages 14–25 yr), but this ratio decreases with age. Indeed, starting at puberty, young women are at the greatest risk for major depression and mental disorders globally.
Are there gender differences in depression?About twice as many women as men experience depression. Several factors may increase a woman's risk of depression. Women are nearly twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with depression.
What is the prevalence of depression in the United States?Figure 1 shows the past year prevalence of major depressive episode among U.S. adults aged 18 or older in 2020. An estimated 21.0 million adults in the United States had at least one major depressive episode. This number represented 8.4% of all U.S. adults.
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