If you're happy and you know it

Article here. Excerpt:

'Talk about a hot-button issue: Despite women's social and economic gains over the last 35 years, more American women report being less happy. In fact, a new gender gap has emerged: men are now happier than women.

That's according to a study, "The Paradox of Declining Female Happiness," by two University of Pennsylvania economists to be published in the American Economic Journal in August.

But the word's out, igniting gender battles online as both sides point fingers. "Typical complaining women," and "raving, loony feminists," snipe some males. "We have too much to do," and "sexist jerks," females retort.

None seemed overly surprised by the U.S. study, that women are unhappier now than in the 1970s. "There's no `me time,'" says a 38-year-old bank analyst with two children.
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"Maybe women voice their feelings now. They were unhappy before but didn't say it," suggests a 45-year-old administrative assistant.

Betsey Stevenson, co-author of the "Paradox" study, has no easy answers. This pursuit of happiness business is serious stuff. Economists use such life satisfaction findings to help evaluate public policies, explains the assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School.
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They did find that women today are less satisfied with their household's finances than they used to be and less satisfied than men are. It could be expectations, suggests Stevenson, or women's increased intolerance for discrimination in pay.'