Hurried woman syndrome
Life was a cabaret. Now it's a syndrome.
According to a survey of 10,000 women carried out for women's magazine Prima, three-quarters showed at least five of the 'symptoms' of 'hurried woman syndrome' - which include weight gain, low self esteem, low sex drive and guilt. Prima editor Ruth Tierney said, 'This is a uniquely female condition because women today have the pressure of looking after the day-to-day running of the household, while many also have the pressure of going out to work.'
Now, it is true that trying to run a household, look after children and hold down a job can be knackering. But given that there are many ways in which life in general is much easier than in the past, can these feelings of depression have anything to do with the reality of life? How on earth did our grandparents cope?
In fact, if this survey reveals anything, it is the increasing turn inwards to navel-gaze that is novel. With women and men feeling more isolated than in the past, there is a widespread perception that the only thing we can have control over is ourselves. Our horizons are reduced to me, me, me. How do I feel? Am I happy? Am I the right weight? Is my sex life as good as it should be?
What a good thing that Prima magazine is there to help out, then. Alongside the revelations in their survey, this month's edition features the latest seven-day wonder diet, how to feed your family for less, finding time to tidy up, and how to get the hair you want. Perhaps a feature on getting out more would have been in order.
A woman's work is now a syndrome, Daily Telegraph, 6 January 2005
1 Comments:
wowee, judging by your ridiculous statements regarding how much EASIER it is nowadays it's clear that you are not underpriveledged in any way. Well, good for you, enjoy your easy life for the rest of us. I am a single mother of only one child and a college graduate. I have to work two jobs just to make ends meet, figure out childcare and provide extracurricular activities for my gifted child. I am probably pretty lucky as it could always be 'worse' or more difficult. However, I was delighted to hear that someone put a name to what I suffer with. Never enough time for me. Am I supposed to be happy with simple survival? What if there's never an end to the things you have to remember and the things you forget which throw a wrench in at least a couple of your days every week. The expecatations of the people around me- which, as a woman, I was taught very well to pay attention to, are so overbearing and burdensome and it isn't limited to woman. BUT, men are not ingrained to atend to things the way a woman traditionally is. Yes, I think I would be happy with the olden days when things were simpler, no dishwasher, washin' the clothes on the rocks in the river, but still, simpler.
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