Photo by Chris Meyer
IU Bloomington student Laura Cooper takes advantage of the mild temperatures to play her guitar and sing under the afternoon sun in Dunn Meadow.
Pew survey finds women’s greater satisfaction with life extends to less developed regions of the globe.
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All around the world, from rich countries in North America to the poorest nations in Africa and Asia, men and women tend to differ from one another when it comes to their outlook on life, their family, their future and the world at large.
Women are somewhat happier than men with their lives overall, according to 38,000 interviews in 44 countries conducted by the Pew Research Center for the Pew Global Attitudes Project. And, compared with five years ago, the women surveyed reported more often than men that they had made progress in their lives.
When asked about the electronic gadgets that have come to symbolize progress in the modern world, men and women overwhelmingly agreed that technological developments have been a change for the better. But men are much fonder of their “high-tech toys;” two-in five Japanese women, and one-in-three British and Canadian women said that cell phones have “made life worse.”
The global gender gap is not limited to happiness, for it also reflects differing life perspectives.
Women show greater concern about issues that directly affect the family and home life. Men express more concern about issues outside the home and more optimism about the future. Yet men are happier with their family life and more optimistic about what lies ahead for their children.
The happiest nationality, among both men and women, were found to be Americans and Canadians. Women in Japan, India, the Philippines, Pakistan and Argentina were found to be much happier than their male counterparts.
Read the report in pdf format at this Pew Global Attitude Project Web site:
http://www.pewtrusts.com/pdf/pew_research_global_gender_1003.pdf
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