Women & Depression Part 1

Today, I have been hearing a lot of people discussing depression, more specifically the fact that women seem to suffer from it more than men, according to statistics.  Now, I can't remember where I was hearing this being discussed (which I know is poor, a more organised blogger would probably be able to tell you where it was discussed and link to it.  However, if I could do that then people would find out that I watch This Morning, The Wright Stuff and Loose Women).
  So, it got me considering whether this is true, why, and what it means.

Theory 1:
Women suffer from depression more because their lives are shitter.
This argument suggests that women suffer more with depression because despite great progress in sexual equality, things are still generally crapper for women.  We still do not get paid as much as our male counterparts, and are still subject to society's prejudice in a number of ways.  Though this prejudice is more subtle now, speaking as a 30 year old single woman who speaks (and often shouts) her mind, I have often felt  like a failure for not having a man.  I dread to think what my meeker sisters feel like.  I can never know what it is like for a single man in his 30s, but I'm thinking the biological clock isn't ticking (and subsequently people are not reminding you about this), and people aren't feeling sorry for you, imagining you sat alone every night with just 'Enders for company (it doesn't matter how many times you talk about all the friends you have, some cunts will still assume they are cats).
  I have also felt lucky on many occasions that I personally do not have a lot of anxiety about the way I look, although I know other women do.  Despite the work of Gok, a lot of women have low self esteem in this area, and it is hugely widespread (even when their arses are not).  Men often scoff at the behaviour women go through to look good, say they do not understand why we do it, but question the same man on whether he would ever consider dating a woman with armpit hair, and the answer is quite clear.  This is obviously on the rough end of the scale, but it seems to me that women make a lot of effort, spend a lot of money, and crucially worry a lot about their appearance, while a lot of men have only been to Boots this year on Christmas Eve when they need a gift for their mum.
  My final comparison between men and women culturally, is not as trivial, as it concerns sexual abuse.  I do not intend to make sweeping statements on this site, only to discuss my life as I see it.  The bare facts are these:- Every woman I know has been sexually abused in some way.  If you look at the whole spectrum, from grooming through to out and out rape, then this unfortunately is the case.  Having to deal with these experiences is bound to cause some emotions akin to depression.

To Be Continued....