American Women Less Stressed Than Women In Other Nations
Everyone feels stress, but women who live in countries with emerging economies say they feel more stressed than women in developed countries.
The “Women of Tomorrow” study by the Nielsen Company was released on June 28 and says that today's women feel empowered. But as Susan Whiting, the vice chair at Nielsen, points out, feelings of empowerment can also lead to feeling overworked, stressed, and pressed for time.
“Women tell Nielsen they feel empowered to reach their goals and get what they want,” she said, “but at the same time, this level of empowerment results in added stress.”
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Of the countries surveyed, India was at the very top of the list and had the highest percentage of women (87 percent) who say they felt stressed and pressed for time. The south Asian nation was followed by Mexico (74 percent) and Russia (69 percent), all of which are considered to have emerging markets.
The United States ranked eleventh overall among the countries surveyed, with 53 percent of women feeling stressed. Sweden and Malaysia tied for the lowest percentage at 44 percent.
One reason why some women said they felt stress in emerging markets is because, after spending money on “everyday essentials,” they don't have much money to spend on themselves. Interestingly, vacations topped the list of what women in developed nations planned to spend extra money on, while clothing topped the list for those in nations with emerging markets.
The report also stated that women in developing countries think that their daughters will have more opportunities than they had, while women in developed nations believe their daughters will only have the same opportunities as they had.
“The difference in perceptions is striking, and reflective of the belief that women in developed countries have achieved a certain level of attainment and success,” Whiting said. “While women in emerging markets see tremendous growth in the opportunities for their daughters, a plateau of hope is evident in developed countries.”
In spite of this “plateau of hope,” the majority of women (80 percent) who live in nations with developed economies, like the U.S., believe that the role of women will change in the future, and 90 percent believe it will be for the better.
Dr. Katheryn Webb, director of Christian Women's Studies at Trinity College of the Bible and Theological Seminary seemed surprised that the U.S. ranked eleventh overall.
“I would have thought it would have been higher,” she remarked to The Christian Post. “Women are wearing...many more hats.”
Several years ago, she said, she worked with a women's conference in Sudan. “What they want in their lives is the same thing that American women want in their lives,” she said, but also added that having new opportunities and new freedoms added to their stress levels.
American women, on the other hand, have grown used to wearing many hats and fulfilling many roles. “We as American women may have realized that's just how it is, so we don't think about it so much anymore.”
A generally negative outlook on the economy and America's future, she said, probably also influenced American women's views of their daughter's future opportunities.
“The opportunities for women are there but we still live in a world where, to take advantage of those...many times women still have to be better at it than a male colleague.”
“Many women in many parts of the world, everything is a struggle,” she said, “so to have any gain at all means that the future for your daughters will be better, and we've, I think, lost that.”
As a Christian, Webb believes that faith in God can help women to deal with their stress.
“It should help us and it does help me realize...Is the stress level something that I've created myself? If it's something that I've created myself then I need to step back and re-prioritize,” said Webb. “If it's something that's been imposed on me, because of life's circumstances, then I know that God's going to help me get through it and deal with it, so that I don't have to lay awake at night worried about it.”
Here is the entire list, along with the percentage of women who reported their stress from each country:
1. India (87 percent)
2. Mexico (74 percent)
3. Russia (69 percent)
4. Brazil (67 percent)
5. Spain (66 percent)
6. France (65 percent)
7. South Africa (64 percent)
Italy (64 percent)
8. Nigeria (58 percent)
9. Turkey (56 percent)
10. U.K. (55 percent)
11. U.S.A. (53 percent)
12. Japan (52 percent)
Canada (52 percent)
Australia (52 percent)
13. China (51 percent)
14. Germany (47 percent)
15. Thailand (45 percent)
South Korea (45 percent)
16. Malaysia (44 percent)
Sweden (44 percent)
