According to a study carried out by the NGO Think Olga released this Wednesday (30), 45% of Brazilian women have a diagnosis of anxiety, depression, or other types of disorders and 86% consider that they have a lot of responsibility.
The unprecedented research was carried out with 1,078 women, between 18 and 65 years old, in all states of the country, between May 12 and 26, 2023, and shows that 26% of women declared that imposed beauty standards have a negative impact on mental health . The fear of suffering violence is mentioned by 16% of the respondents.
The financial situation and ability to reconcile the different aspects of life have the lowest satisfaction scores among the interviewees. In a rating from 1 to 10, financial life received a rating of 1.4, while for the ability to reconcile different areas of life, the score was 2.2.
During the interviews, the effects of the pandemic on mental health were frequently reported.
“Mental health should not be a discussion limited by biological factors. Of course, there is influence from them, but what the report shows us is that the gender perspective and its intersections directly affect social relations and, therefore, have a direct impact on women’s psychology”, explains Maíra Liguori, director of Think Olga
Women reported that they are the sole or main providers in 38% of households — most of them black, from class D and E and over 55 years of age. Only 11% of respondents say they do not contribute financially to the maintenance of their families.
The study also showed that 86% of women consider having a lot of responsibility. Caregivers and single mothers are also the most burdened with household and care tasks, with 51% of mothers and 49% of caregivers pointing to the restricted financial situation as the biggest impact on mental health.
According to data from the National Household Sample Survey (PNAD) carried out in 2022, women spend 21.4 hours a week on domestic and care tasks, men spend 11 hours a week.
The report, called “Exhausted”, showed that the overload of domestic work and excessive working hours was the second most cited cause of dissatisfaction – behind only financial concerns. Care work is particularly burdensome for women between 36 and 55 years old (57% take care of someone) and black and brown women (50% take care of someone).
See also: Lula says that women can be a majority in politics and govern the world
Source: CNN Brasil
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