Are Most Women Happy in 2016?
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After a Radio 4 Woman’s Hour poll, statistics show that nine out of ten women would rather be themselves than a man in 2016, compared with just over half that figure in 1947.
To mark the programme’s 70th anniversary, the poll showed that women in 2016 are more positive about their marriages and potential marriages, too. 42% of the women surveyed said that men and women give up equal amounts of freedom in marriage also. Compared to the mere quarter of the men and women who thought this in 1951, it’s a very positive change. It’s slow, but still positive.
The poll surveyed 1004 women of all ages, looking at their lives and looking at a number of things like sex, family, money, and appearance. We’ll keep it to the main points:
Marriage wise, women are far more likely to marry the same person (if they were given the chance to change partners), than the women in the 1940s. 87% of women would stick with their husbands, an increase of 10% since 1949.
Women today are more likely to work in 2016 than in 1951. This could be because of changes in attitudes toward women in the workplace, but the stats show that 60% of women are in employment, weighed up with the 31% 65 years ago.
Out of all the women surveyed, a fifth said that their most urgent problem was money, and the problem was most prominent among 25- to 34-year-olds.
Of all the things that mattered however, appearance was high on the scale, with most 18- to 24-year-olds saying the word they would least like to be associated with was fat. They also said the worst thing to be called was “stupid” or “boring”.
24% of women aged 25 to 34 claimed they were extremely satisfied under the bed sheets. Older women, from ages 55 to 64, were least likely to be “extremely satisfied.”
When questioned on whether they wanted children, the poll found that those who earned over £40,000 in a year were twice as likely to think having no children was ideal, whereas those earning under £20,000 a year thought the opposite. More than half (56%) thought that two children was the perfect family size.
Lastly, those who worried the most in all the women surveyed were the 25 to 34 age group. They were more likely to worry about their health and family and friends. 53% worried about how much money they would have in old age and making ends meet.
This survey comes as a surprise, after one of our writers reported that one in six girls feel ashamed of their body.