The upsurge in pissed-off women

Have you noticed that women are less happy that they were 35 years ago? Personally, the only women I really registered at the age of nine were my fourth grade teacher Mrs. Lowther, who was the total bomb, and my mom, who had two older kids and was mostly just vague.

Anyway, the Freakonomics guys, whose ideas I find quite fascinating, have referenced a study in their blog today, which claims that women are less happy than they were 35 years ago. I’ve only had time to skim the first part, but am interested to go back and see what ‘kinds’ of women they’re talking about.

The supposition is that women should be happier, post women’s movement, the pill, widespread sales of ildo-dayes, and so on. (So yes I made that last bit up. And yes it’s hard to read — but if the plural calls for an ‘es’, then one should carry the ‘es’ to the end of the pig latin translation, yes? Monkman, please feel free to weigh in).

If we’re talking only about women in Western industrialized nations, then you could assume that reforms had touched the lives of most. But the whole world of women? I can’t imagine trying to quantify and compare happiness between me, for instance, and a mom in Africa whose surviving children are starving. There just isn’t any chance of happiness when your kids are hungry and ailing.