This weekend, Maureen Dowd wrote a New York Times column called “Blue is the New Black,” in which she interpreted some recent studies to assert that women in America are getting less happy as they age.
What does Dowd think causes this gender-imbalance? Women have too many choices; it is harder to find satisfaction in more complicated lives; they are less attractive than men as they age; and it is harder for them to find mates.
It is hard not to believe that Dowd’s column says more about herself than women in general; maybe that is the point.
What is more confusing is the column that Dowd cites, a column written on the Huffington Post by…a man, motivational speaker Marcus Buckingham.
In Buckingham’s post, “What’s Happening to Women’s Happiness?” he refers to the same studies, which show a gradual decline in female happiness over the last 35 years. Buckingham also cites the same studies for the proposition that women’s happiness decreases as they age; he says that women get unhappier than men around the age 47.
I beg to differ, for a couple of reasons. First of all, at VibrantNation.com, we see women face challenges as they age with an attitude that seems full of confidence and balance; they also gain strength from the support of other women. They seem wise from experience, but not unhappy.
Second, the studies Dowd and Buckingham cite show such a small decline in “happiness” over the years to be statistically dubious. A 10% decline in self-defined happiness over 35 years may say more about what happiness means than about how much women experience it.
And even if these studies are true, what would it mean for companies who seek to do business with the desirable Boomer woman consumer?
Nothing, as far as this man can tell. While marketers frequently use fear and doubt to motivate consumer behavior, we know that Vibrant Women want more than fear and doubt; they want marketers to confirm that they can overcome their challenges. They want marketers to recognize their ability to find happiness in life wherever it may lie.
And, finally, if these women are feeling unhappy, it may be because marketers consistently tell them that they must regret the losses caused by aging. Maybe delivering a message that women over 50 deserve to be happy for all they can still accomplish in life will not just be good for business; maybe it will actually make them happier, too.
thank you so much Lisa, that helps a lot. I know he tried to blame me for so much stuff, but like I told all of his family and mine none of that added up to a divorce. I do realize it's his needs, it just hurts so bad to think how many years he's
How funny....i only very recently (within last week) read the coconut oil articles on the web. (100 uses, 80 uses etc.) so i bouht some and ordered some from amazon. (Im a stockpiler.)
Have started trying some of the uses. I tried using it a
I’m 52 now and for me, I think I woke up when I turned 50. I decided to go back to school to get an associate degree in computer information systems and I’m loving it! I was laid off my job a year ago and still haven’t found work but I focus on school and going to the gym. I’ve lost 27 pounds in the last year and am in better shape than ever but being around all those young people at the gym makes it hard. I’d give anything to have the amount of energy I had in my 20′s and 30′s. But it’s also depressing because they have their whole life ahead of them – to make different decisions than I did. I would get a degree if I knew then what I knew now and would probably be higher along in my career. At this age, I have all the experience in the world in my field (purchasing) but age and lack of college degree are against me at finding something else. My husband is supportive but not sure what we’re going to do when the unemployment extensions run out. I’m really not ready to work for 1/2 of what I was making. Yes, I can say at this time in my life I am unhappier than I was when I was younger but hopefully things will get better when I find work.
This study was conducted by the same folks who brought us the study on a woman’s odds on marriage after age 30.
If women are unhappy, it’s because they’re married to or involved with asshole men who don’t know how to make them happy.Men have it all in this world. Don’t they?
Find love, real love, which in this country is rare indeed, and you will find happiness. Find a REAL MAN — to find love with — still rarer than a happy woman!