Why Depression Is More Common in Women Than in Men

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHormonal DifferencesSocialization DifferencesSocial RolesSocietal FactorsCoping StyleStressful Life EventsDiagnosis Differences

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Hormonal Differences

Socialization Differences

Social Roles

Societal Factors

Coping Style

Stressful Life Events

Diagnosis Differences

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It has been widely documented that there are gender differences in depression prevalence, with women experiencingmajor depressionmore often thanmen. This risk exists independent of race or ethnicity.

One large-scale 2017 study found that these gender differences emerge starting at age 12, with girls and women being twice as likely as men to experience depression.Several risk factors have been studied that might account for gender differences in rates of depression.

At a GlanceWomen and girls are twice as likely to have depression compared to men and boys. There are several factors that may play a role in this, including differences in hormones, socialization, social roles, coping mechanisms, and life stress. However, it is also important to note that women are more likely to seek help and that depression may present differently in men, which may mean that men are often under or misdiagnosed. Keep reading to learn more about why women are more likely to be diagnosed with depression.

At a Glance

Women and girls are twice as likely to have depression compared to men and boys. There are several factors that may play a role in this, including differences in hormones, socialization, social roles, coping mechanisms, and life stress. However, it is also important to note that women are more likely to seek help and that depression may present differently in men, which may mean that men are often under or misdiagnosed. Keep reading to learn more about why women are more likely to be diagnosed with depression.

Common Signs of Depression in Women

Given that the peak onset of depressive disorders in women coincides with their reproductive years (between the ages of 25 to 44 years of age), hormonal risk factors may play a role. Estrogen and progesterone have been shown to affectneurotransmitter, neuroendocrine, and circadian systems that have been implicated in mood disorders.

Althoughmenopauseis a time when a woman’s risk of depression declines, the peri-menopausal period is a time ofincreased riskfor those with a history of major depression. Other hormonal factors that may contribute to a woman’s risk for depression are sex differences related to the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and thyroid function.

Depression Statistics Everyone Should Know

Researchers have found that gender differences in socialization could play a role in rates of depression as well.Girls are generally socialized to be more nurturing and sensitive to the opinions of others, while little boys are often encouraged to develop a greater sense of mastery and independence in their lives.

Masculine gender socialization emphasizes norms such as stoicism, toughness, and the avoidance of anything perceived as feminine, including displays of emotion. Some researchers suggest that this type of socialization may cause depression to manifest differently in men.

Gender Schema Theory and Roles in Culture

The socialization of gender roles and gender traits has been associated with how well people cope with stress and the effects that stress has on health. Researchers have found that such socialization benefits men in terms of overall health.

Studies also show that women tend to use a more emotion-focused,ruminative coping style—mulling their problems over in their minds; while men tend to use a more problem-focused, distracting coping style to help them forget their troubles.

It has been hypothesized that this ruminative coping style could lead to longer and more severe episodes of depression and contribute to women’s greater vulnerability to depression.

Find Help With the Best Online Resources for Depression

Evidence suggests that, throughout their lifetimes, women may experience more stressful life events and have a greater sensitivity to them than men.

Adolescent girls tend to report more negative life events than boys—usually related to their relationships with their parents and peers—and experience higher levels of distress related to them.

Studies of adult women have found that women are more likely than men to become depressed in response to a stressful life event and to have experienced a stressful event prior to a major depressive episode.

However, depression prevalence rates also tend to be fairly consistent globally, which may suggest that biological influences play the largest role and that factors such as socioeconomic status, education, race, diet, and culture are secondary or compounding influences.

If you or a loved one are struggling with depression, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat1-800-662-4357for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

If you or a loved one are struggling with depression, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat1-800-662-4357for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.

For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

Researchers have also suggested that there may actually be no difference in prevalence between men and women. These researchers have proposed the idea that it may actually be that women seek help more often than men or report their symptoms differently, leading to thembeing diagnosedmore often than men.

Some research indicates that not only may men experience depression differently than women do, but depression among men may also be underdiagnosed.

Men tend to experience symptoms such as anger, irritability, sleep disturbances, and substance use. They are also more likely to describe depressive symptoms as “stress” rather than feelings of sadness.

One study published inJAMA Psychiatryfound that when depression was measured with these so-call “male symptoms,” men actually had somewhat higher rates of depression (26.3% for men and 21.9% for women).

Other researchers have noted that the 2:1 ratio for the diagnosis of major depression does not account for the experience of sub-clinical depression symptoms. Evidence suggests that many teens and adults experience symptoms of depression that cause significant impairment but do not meet the diagnostic criteria for a depressive disorder.

Keep in Mind

Depression is acomplex conditionthat does not have a single, simple cause. Further research is needed to understand sex differences in rates of depression and its diagnosis. The existing research suggests that biological differences between men and women play a significant part in explaining these differences. Cultural expectations, gender roles, and the underdiagnosis of depression in men may also be contributing factors.

Why Some People Are More Prone to Depression

9 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Salk RH, Hyde JS, Abramson LY.Gender differences in depression in representative national samples: Meta-analyses of diagnoses and symptoms.Psychol Bull. 2017;143(8):783-822. doi:10.1037/bul0000102Wharton W, Gleason CE, Olson SR, Carlsson CM, Asthana S.Neurobiological underpinnings of the estrogen-mood relationship.Curr Psychiatry Rev. 2012; 8(3): 247-256. doi:10.2174/157340012800792957Altemus M, Sarvaiya N, Epperson CN.Sex differences in anxiety and depression clinical perspectives.Front Neuroendocrinol. 2014;35(3):320-30. doi:10.1016/j.yfrne.2014.05.004Sileo KM, Kershaw TS.Dimensions of masculine norms, depression, and mental health service utilization: Results from a prospective cohort study among emerging adult men in the United States.Am J Mens Health. 2020;14(1):1557988320906980. doi:10.1177/1557988320906980Mayor E.Gender roles and traits in stress and health.Front Psychol. 2015;6:779. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00779Cholankeril R, Xiang E, Badr H.Gender differences in coping and psychological adaptation during the COVID-19 pandemic.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023;20(2):993. doi:10.3390/ijerph20020993Hamilton JL, Stange JP, Abramson LY, Alloy LB.Stress and the development of cognitive vulnerabilities to depression explain sex differences in depressive symptoms during adolescence.Clin Psychol Sci. 2015;3(5):702-714. doi:10.1177/2167702614545479Cohen S, Murphy MLM, Prather AA.Ten surprising facts about stressful life events and disease risk.Annu Rev Psychol. 2019;70(1):577-597. doi:10.1146/annurev-psych-010418-102857Martin LA, Neighbors HW, Griffith DM.The experience of symptoms of depression in men vs women: Analysis of the National Comorbidity Survey Replication.JAMA Psychiatry. 2013;70(10):1100-6. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2013.1985

9 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Salk RH, Hyde JS, Abramson LY.Gender differences in depression in representative national samples: Meta-analyses of diagnoses and symptoms.Psychol Bull. 2017;143(8):783-822. doi:10.1037/bul0000102Wharton W, Gleason CE, Olson SR, Carlsson CM, Asthana S.Neurobiological underpinnings of the estrogen-mood relationship.Curr Psychiatry Rev. 2012; 8(3): 247-256. doi:10.2174/157340012800792957Altemus M, Sarvaiya N, Epperson CN.Sex differences in anxiety and depression clinical perspectives.Front Neuroendocrinol. 2014;35(3):320-30. doi:10.1016/j.yfrne.2014.05.004Sileo KM, Kershaw TS.Dimensions of masculine norms, depression, and mental health service utilization: Results from a prospective cohort study among emerging adult men in the United States.Am J Mens Health. 2020;14(1):1557988320906980. doi:10.1177/1557988320906980Mayor E.Gender roles and traits in stress and health.Front Psychol. 2015;6:779. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00779Cholankeril R, Xiang E, Badr H.Gender differences in coping and psychological adaptation during the COVID-19 pandemic.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023;20(2):993. doi:10.3390/ijerph20020993Hamilton JL, Stange JP, Abramson LY, Alloy LB.Stress and the development of cognitive vulnerabilities to depression explain sex differences in depressive symptoms during adolescence.Clin Psychol Sci. 2015;3(5):702-714. doi:10.1177/2167702614545479Cohen S, Murphy MLM, Prather AA.Ten surprising facts about stressful life events and disease risk.Annu Rev Psychol. 2019;70(1):577-597. doi:10.1146/annurev-psych-010418-102857Martin LA, Neighbors HW, Griffith DM.The experience of symptoms of depression in men vs women: Analysis of the National Comorbidity Survey Replication.JAMA Psychiatry. 2013;70(10):1100-6. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2013.1985

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Salk RH, Hyde JS, Abramson LY.Gender differences in depression in representative national samples: Meta-analyses of diagnoses and symptoms.Psychol Bull. 2017;143(8):783-822. doi:10.1037/bul0000102Wharton W, Gleason CE, Olson SR, Carlsson CM, Asthana S.Neurobiological underpinnings of the estrogen-mood relationship.Curr Psychiatry Rev. 2012; 8(3): 247-256. doi:10.2174/157340012800792957Altemus M, Sarvaiya N, Epperson CN.Sex differences in anxiety and depression clinical perspectives.Front Neuroendocrinol. 2014;35(3):320-30. doi:10.1016/j.yfrne.2014.05.004Sileo KM, Kershaw TS.Dimensions of masculine norms, depression, and mental health service utilization: Results from a prospective cohort study among emerging adult men in the United States.Am J Mens Health. 2020;14(1):1557988320906980. doi:10.1177/1557988320906980Mayor E.Gender roles and traits in stress and health.Front Psychol. 2015;6:779. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00779Cholankeril R, Xiang E, Badr H.Gender differences in coping and psychological adaptation during the COVID-19 pandemic.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023;20(2):993. doi:10.3390/ijerph20020993Hamilton JL, Stange JP, Abramson LY, Alloy LB.Stress and the development of cognitive vulnerabilities to depression explain sex differences in depressive symptoms during adolescence.Clin Psychol Sci. 2015;3(5):702-714. doi:10.1177/2167702614545479Cohen S, Murphy MLM, Prather AA.Ten surprising facts about stressful life events and disease risk.Annu Rev Psychol. 2019;70(1):577-597. doi:10.1146/annurev-psych-010418-102857Martin LA, Neighbors HW, Griffith DM.The experience of symptoms of depression in men vs women: Analysis of the National Comorbidity Survey Replication.JAMA Psychiatry. 2013;70(10):1100-6. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2013.1985

Salk RH, Hyde JS, Abramson LY.Gender differences in depression in representative national samples: Meta-analyses of diagnoses and symptoms.Psychol Bull. 2017;143(8):783-822. doi:10.1037/bul0000102

Wharton W, Gleason CE, Olson SR, Carlsson CM, Asthana S.Neurobiological underpinnings of the estrogen-mood relationship.Curr Psychiatry Rev. 2012; 8(3): 247-256. doi:10.2174/157340012800792957

Altemus M, Sarvaiya N, Epperson CN.Sex differences in anxiety and depression clinical perspectives.Front Neuroendocrinol. 2014;35(3):320-30. doi:10.1016/j.yfrne.2014.05.004

Sileo KM, Kershaw TS.Dimensions of masculine norms, depression, and mental health service utilization: Results from a prospective cohort study among emerging adult men in the United States.Am J Mens Health. 2020;14(1):1557988320906980. doi:10.1177/1557988320906980

Mayor E.Gender roles and traits in stress and health.Front Psychol. 2015;6:779. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00779

Cholankeril R, Xiang E, Badr H.Gender differences in coping and psychological adaptation during the COVID-19 pandemic.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023;20(2):993. doi:10.3390/ijerph20020993

Hamilton JL, Stange JP, Abramson LY, Alloy LB.Stress and the development of cognitive vulnerabilities to depression explain sex differences in depressive symptoms during adolescence.Clin Psychol Sci. 2015;3(5):702-714. doi:10.1177/2167702614545479

Cohen S, Murphy MLM, Prather AA.Ten surprising facts about stressful life events and disease risk.Annu Rev Psychol. 2019;70(1):577-597. doi:10.1146/annurev-psych-010418-102857

Martin LA, Neighbors HW, Griffith DM.The experience of symptoms of depression in men vs women: Analysis of the National Comorbidity Survey Replication.JAMA Psychiatry. 2013;70(10):1100-6. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2013.1985

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