Windmilling On the Slippery Slope

Now, before I begin: THIS IS NOT ME WRITING. THE OPINIONS THAT FOLLOW ARE NOT NECESSARILY MINE. There, having cleared that up, I hope I can escape being lumped together with David Letterman whose latest "jokes" have turned on him. I like Letterman, but crude humor even hinting at the kind of stuff he referred to the other night with regard to the Palin daughter is not acceptable. (that is the editorial portion of our program...on with the blog)
Meghan Daun of the Los Angeles Times reported today on research done by the National Bureau of Economic Research in conjunction with the University of Pennsylvania. This research indicates without question that women today are less happy than they were in the 70s. The actual quote is "women's subjective well-being has declined both absolutely and relatively to men." So, while men aren't getting any happier, either, women's joi de vivre appears to be plummeting like the DJIA over the last two years.
This isn't some study done for the sake of doing one: it featured a cross-sectional data base of various ethnic and socioeconomic groups in several industrialized countries. Thus, it seems like an accurate study. The same questiosn, I would guess, were asked both in the 70s and in this decade, and the results were irrefutable.("But did they ask the SAME women," I hear you query. No idea)
What ISN'T suggested are any reasons for this. An hypothesis and study with conclusions but no discussion of results seems a bit chicken-hearted to me, but then again, maybe they found just what they were looking for...or they were men like me and wary of sticking their necks out...again, like me.
This didn't stop Daun and other columnists from weighing in on possible reasons for this marked drop in personal satisfaction. And remember, before you start writing ME hate mail castigating me as atypical male idiot, these are options proposed by others and reported by me! I know the looks of a dangerously slippery slope when I see one!

1. One potential cause of all this angst might be the feminist movement of the 70s...not because of all the now-sagging tissue as a reult of wearing less underwear (no personal information on whether this ultimately hurts, but it would seem to), but because that movement promised something that ultimately could not be delivered. The feminist movement seemed to say to women that they could, in fact, have it all (up to and including a Virginia Slims-induced cancer). Facts are, though, that women still make less than men, the glass ceiling iremains a reality, women who have both a job and kids STILL have to do most of the work around the house while hubby watches "Sports Center," and kids, well, can be kids. Thus, while raising expectations for a segment of the population dying to have a slice of the pie, the movement ultimately set women up for unhappiness...no a la mode.

2. The demands on working mothers, especially single working mothers are overwhelming and cause for not only great stress but greater unhappiness. One pundit went so far as to say that the romantic idea of a single mother has been embraced by so many woman who "don't need a man" has been tempered by the harsh realities of raising a child or children. It's not easy being both the good cop and the bad cop. And given the statistics on teen prgnancies, this gets downright scary. But then, of course, what can one do ex post facto?

3. Daun even proposed, somewhat tongue in cheek, that Angelina Jolie and others of her ilk were the source of the problem. Here is a woman who CAN have it all, including Brad Pitt, action movie roles, any kid she wants, botox, a vial of blood around your neck if you want to,etc. which, in turn, is bound to make any other woman feel like something the cat dragged it. Maybe, maybe not. If you believe the tabloids, it's not all peaches and cream for Brangelina, either. Who still wants to trade?

I have several of my own theories on this, and though I hesitate to put them out there, I'm feeling reckless (especially since I'm going to cover bacon with chocolate tomorrow and give myself cemented arterial walls). I actually posed the question to my sweetie as to whether or not she was happier in the 70s than she is today, and she said, "Yes" without hesitation although she refused to elaborate in the name of scientific discovery. "Am I the reason," I foolishly asked, knowing all the while that I should just shut up. The subsequent look I got when I persisted convinced me that I had better just turn around and begin the blog.
On second thought, I'm going to keep my electronic mouth shut. My opinions are best kept unspoken.
The slope is terrifyingly slippery.