Research concludes that a significant psychologically difference between males and females stems from outwardly sources, one being occupational status.
- There is a correlation between increases of females in the workforce and male distress. Self-esteem and ego of males is greatly impacted by female social roles.
- The studies drawn from conclude that the absolute level of psychological distress has increased in the population as whole. However, the sex differences have decreased as a result of declination in male psychological well-being.
- McLanahan and Glass (1985), attribute such to the changes in “roles” as a result of female labor, creating variation in psychological distress of both sexes.
- Increases in female employment has benefited the psychological well-being of women since the initial study, and accounts for “about 20% of the convergence in sex differences between 1957 and 1978” (Kessler and McRae, 1981) (McLanahan, 329). The twenty percent convergence is a result of both female increase in psychological health and a decrease in male psychological health.
- According to studies such as the “Great Depression Study” conducted by Bakke and Komarovsky (1940), as well as epidemiological studies conducted by Catalano and Dooely (1977, 1983) and Cohn (1978), male employment functions as a major source of identity and self-esteem.
- Increases in depression are linked to decreases in male employment opportunities and economic growth. Tudor (1973), associates male psychological vulnerability to loss of occupational status, stating reasoning based on self-esteem and the buffering of work from marital or parental distress.