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Women at the top more likely than men to be depressed

The study's authors claim that social and cultural norms allow for men to more seamlessly assume positions of power.

By Brooks Hays
Forbes lists first ladies Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton as two of the most powerful women in the world. UPI/Ian Halperin
Forbes lists first ladies Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton as two of the most powerful women in the world. UPI/Ian Halperin | License Photo

AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 24 (UPI) -- It's lonely at the top. Or at least it is for women. A new study suggests holding a position of power, with weighty responsibilities, increases symptoms of depression in women but diminishes them in men.

"Women with job authority -- the ability to hire, fire and influence pay -- have significantly more symptoms of depression than women without this power," lead study author Tetyana Pudrovska. Pudrovska, a sociologist at the University of Texas at Austin, explained in a press release. "In contrast, men with job authority have fewer symptoms of depression than men without such power."

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Pudrovska and her research partner Amelia Karraker, an assistant professor of human development and family studies at Iowa State University, conducted their study using data on mental health and job authority collected from 1954 to 2004 as part of the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study.

The study's authors claim that social and cultural norms allow for men to more seamlessly assume positions of power. According to them, a man in power is expected and accepted by his peers, colleagues and subordinates -- by those working alongside him as well as outsiders looking in.

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In contrast, Pudrovska says, previous studies have shown women in positions of authority regularly experience "interpersonal tension, negative social interactions, negative stereotypes, prejudice, social isolation, as well as resistance from subordinates, colleagues and superiors."

The weight of these stressors and tensions results in an uptick of depressive symptoms, with women in power possessing depression symptoms more often than men not in positions of authority. As well, men in positions of power were even less likely to be depressed.

The research was carried out with financial help from the National Institutes of Health's National Institute on Aging. The results were published in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior.

The study's authors say their findings are proof that "we need to address gender discrimination, hostility and prejudice against women leaders to reduce the psychological costs and increase the psychological rewards of higher-status jobs for women."

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