Women and depression: A Durkheimian perspective

Abstract

Sex differences in mental disorder rates have been examined from two opposing perspectives. One of these suggests that women have higher rates due to sex role related stress [1. Am. J. Sociol. 78, 812, 1972; 2. Gender and Disordered Behavior, p. 23. Brunner/Mazel, New York, 1979]. The other holds that women do not have generally higher rates than men but rather that they manifest different types of psychiatric disorders [3. A. Rev. Psychiat. 25, 417, 1974; 4. Am. J. Sociol. 81, 1447, 1976]. This paper develops a theoretical paradigm to clarify and extend the latter position thereby facilitating an empirical test of the two opposing positions. Psychiatric disorder rates are examined for women living in two communities with contrasting sex role norms, the traditional Orthodox Jewish community with traditional sex role norms and the modern Orthodox Jewish community with changing sex role norms. The sex role stress perspective and the theoretical paradigm developed here lead to different predictions regarding the comparative disorder rates among these women. The observed rates of disorder are not consistent with the role stress theory.

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