Overworked and Undervalued Can Mean Depression for Women

It's no secret that the majority of women have a lot of their plates. In fact, most of them have much more than they can chew. Many women in our society are overworked, underpaid and undervalued. These patterns combined often lead to heightened stress levels and severe depression.

Even in our modern society women bear the majority of child rearing responsibilities. Many of these women also work full time jobs and are responsible for the brunt of household chores and management. Some of these women are single mothers. It is no wonder why so many women become overwhelmed by their obligations and duties. For women who provide sole or primary financial earnings for their families the stress factor is increased even further.

Of course depression isn't caused by stress alone. Depression usually results from a combination of factors such as stress, genetics, workload, childbirth and hormonal imbalances among others. According to MentalHealthAmerica.net approximately 12 million women in the U.S. experience clinical depression each year. Twice as many women suffer from depression than men. Women also suffer from more family and work related stress.

In many cases women are undervalued both in the workplace and the home. Women tend to earn less money than men in the workforce. Although being a stay at home mom is a twenty-four hour job society has conditioned women to devalue that role. When asked about work, women often answer in a manner similar to the following statement.

"Oh, I don't work. I'm just a stay at home mom."

If managing a household and caring for children 24/7 is not work then I don't know what is. Women have been conditioned to look upon that role as if it is nothing. It's not as if a stay at home mom reclines on the sofa all day watching soap opera and sipping champagne. A woman's work is never done and that is true of both the stay at home mom and the woman who works outside the home. Women that work outside the home leave their job once their shift ends only to come home and do more work.