Does The Socıety Drag Women Into Depressıon?

Research indicates that women’s risk to have depression is 2 times higher than men’s. It is correct that hormonal differences in women are a part of significant component that causes this. For instance, estrogen and progesterone influence serotonin which stimulates happiness. A decline in hormone levels results in a decline in serotonin and this causes fluctuations in mood.

Another research detected that depression occurs more frequently in women using birth control pills. But these answers were not sufficient for me since I have always had the question in my mind- could the social roles loaded on women and the way society perceives women be a significant factor that drags women into depression? Yes, as a result of my investigation, I learned that many things including the way they were up brought and advertisements on the TV might be reasons for depression and anxiety that women have.

The Society Never Sees Women Good Enough

Normal and femininity definitions that are determined by traditions and patriarchy are among the most significant factors that drag women into depression. Normally determined by society always puts women into secondary positions causing women to feel inadequate and weak. For

instance, society tells women to do housework, and take care of the children and it is not necessary to reach the positions that men have in business life. Later makes women feel useless and this causes housewives to have concerns if their job is seen as worthless by society. Besides the responsibilities at home, women make a career encounter mobbing, discrimination, disparaging and mansplaining. This inherently causes bruises on the individual’s ego and self-confidence.

Media and Advertisements Make Ourselves Our Enemies

The beauty imposition that media presents us is on women substantially. They firstly tell us about the “perfection” that they are going to market and then make us feel that we are inadequate and not worthy to be appreciated and sell our products to be perfect. Professor

Caroline Heldman says that the media is objectifying women:

“Today we encounter an average of 5000 advertisements and %96 of the bodies that are presented as sexual objects in advertisements are women. As women, the more we condition ourselves as sexual objects; the more we have depression, be ashamed of our bodies and get

caught with eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia, our self-respect declines and care too much about how people see us.”

Femininity Concept and Masculine Mentality

Another research indicates that the differentiation in socializing of girls and boys could be a cause of depression rates. Girls are mostly being socialized in a more nourishing, sensitive about others’ feelings and thoughtful way whereas boys are encouraged to improve their mastery and superiority senses. In other words, this masculine gender socialization emphasizes that men avoid everything “feminine” such as showing emotions and being sensitive. This causes depression in men to manifest unusually.

Since society does not ascribe despair, sorrow and emotional weakness to men, they do not reveal their emotions to anyone, including themselves. This causes them to prefer alcohol, drugs and excessive rage. Maybe the twice rate difference that we mentioned, in the beginning, comes from the difficulty in diagnosing depression in men. The masculine mentality does not only lead women into a dog’s life but also puts the men into a deadlock. 

I wish that one-day system changes in the whole world; a system is formed in which women, men and all other people could live in peace.