In today's Times, Ross Douthat discusses a recent study by Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers, "The Paradox of Declining Female Happiness." Stevenson and Wolfers found that while male happiness levels have increased over time, women's happiness levels have dropped. This finding holds true across income/race lines.
Looking to find a compromise between feminism and conservativism, Douthat blames the rise in single parenthood and inadequate work-family policies. But the authors clearly shoot down these hypotheses. (see page 17). One should really read the paper that one is citing.
In the conclusion of the paper, Stevenson and Wolfers discuss their own explanations for the findings. They say that perhaps woman are more sensitive than men to big social shifts, such as the decline in social cohesion. Perhaps our expectations are now too high about what we can achieve, and we are inevitably let down by reality.
Interesting paper.