Why do women suffer more from mental health disorders?

Being a woman is considered a risk factor when we talk about mental health. To understand why, we must first remember that we live in a patriarchal and androcentric society that results in social inequalities that are unfavorable to women.

The prevailing androcentrism, that is, the widespread adoption of a male point of view as a neutral and universal viewpoint, has led to a historical invisibility of women, their role in society, and their needs.

This perspective is compounded by the patriarchal system, which creates inequalities that are clearly unfavorable to women due to its interpretation of gender differences. Gender is not about biology; rather, it is a socially constructed definition of women and men with clear political repercussions. In most societies, women have a lower social status than men, and this translates into unequal power relations.

Women are in a position of inferiority within the family, the community, and society at large: they have less access to and control over resources, and less influence in decision-making. Patriarchal society has limited women's development because it considers them inferior, prone to more ailments or weaknesses than men. This results in a biased approach to women's health.

This social inequality places women at greater risk of experiencing mental health problems . Therefore, incorporating a gender perspective into public health involves addressing the influence of social, cultural—which are both debatable and modifiable—and biological factors on health outcomes in order to improve the efficiency, coverage, and equity of health programs.

What are these factors?

Gender-based violence

Women can experience different types of violence both in childhood and adulthood. In childhood, the most serious and gender-specific form is sexual abuse.

The prevalence of child sexual abuse is difficult to study because in many cases the abuse is not reported at the time it occurs, and often not even disclosed later. Even so, most studies indicate that the rate ranges from 20% to 25% in girls and from 10% to 15% in boys. An even more serious factor is when the sexual abuse is perpetrated by a family member.

Aside from the severity of the violence at the time it occurs, women who have suffered sexual abuse have a high risk of developing mental illness in adulthood. One disorder that appears to be related to sexual abuse is borderline personality disorder.

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Another serious form of violence is sexual assault . It is estimated that 10% of European women have experienced sexual violence. In addition to the stress of the violence itself, whether in cases of sexual abuse or rape, there is the added stress of reporting the crime. Women still frequently have to prove their innocence, and many perpetrators go unpunished.

Finally, there is the violence suffered at the hands of a current or former partner, which can be psychological, physical, or sexual. Recent research reveals that between 20 and 40% of women experience physical or sexual violence from their partner. These women are at greater risk of developing one or more mental health disorders. More than 50% of women who have experienced violence suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, which often coexists with other disorders such as depression, phobias, or substance abuse.

The weight of gender stereotypes

Stereotypes are deeply ingrained in society. They irrationally dictate how we should evaluate the behaviors and attitudes of men and women.

Some of these stereotypes are that women are more intuitive, more passive, more submissive, and weaker than men, but also more psychologically unstable. These stereotypes generally have a negative connotation, whether they are associated with women or men.

In addition to stereotypes, social roles are also assigned based on gender. The social roles of women and men are not only different, but they also lead to inequality and discrimination.

• The role of caregiver – Household tasks such as housework and caring for dependents, which involve a physical and mental burden, are considered feminine in all cultures. These tasks receive no social recognition.
• Workplace discrimination – Many women who have become mothers suffer workplace harassment or dismissal when they return to work after maternity leave.
• Double shift – Roles remain clearly defined, and it is generally considered that the mother should take care of the children. This forces working mothers to shoulder a double burden.
• The pressure of motherhood – It is socially assumed that all women want to be mothers. In these cases, social pressure becomes a biological issue, when the biological clock is discussed as if motherhood were obligatory.
• Sexual objectification – The view of women as objects who must take care of themselves to be sexually attractive to men or hide away to avoid being a temptation remains prevalent. In our culture, youth and thinness are valued, at a significant cost to many women.

All these factors worsen women's health because they involve a series of sometimes contradictory requirements that can increase stress, and because the limitations of gender roles associated with less choice and the overload resulting from the difficulty of reconciling roles increase the risk of suffering from depression and anxiety.

Social factors

We cannot lose sight of social factors that influence people's health, such as poverty, social class, the labor market, and migration . All of these factors also have a gender-specific component to a greater or lesser degree.

We're talking about the gender pay gap and the greater job insecurity women face in the labor market. We're talking about migrant women who arrive alone, who support their families back home with their work, and who typically can only find domestic work without a contract.

We're talking about older women, who experience higher levels of poverty than men because they receive lower pensions or simply no pension at all, having dedicated themselves to unpaid domestic work or caring for others. We're talking about very old women (women have a longer life expectancy than men) with chronic health problems that jeopardize their mental well-being.

Women suffer more mental health disorders for multiple reasons, but these are mainly associated with structural problems in our society and culture that lead to social gender inequality.

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