SA women can't cope
According to Women24.com's latest survey results, SA women are shouldering most of the responsibility...
Nearing the big 4-0? Did you know that the likelihood of being dependant on anti-depressants increases significantly with age?
It's not surprising then that the results yielded in this year's Female Nation Survey indicates that 15% of women over the age of 40 are prescribed to so-called 'happy pills' compared to only 8% of women under 40.
A quick glance and these numbers don't say much, but if analysed against the 49% of women who say that they are the sole breadwinners in their home, it tells a frightening story.
The pressures of money, coupled with family and various other responsibilities, are too great. And women, unsurprisingly, carry the bulk of the burden.
43 year old Jessie J.* is a married mother of two, who believes she's nearing an emotional breakdown. "My husband can't find work because of his age and the colour of his skin," she says.
Drowning in demands...
"I pick-up as many over-time shifts as I can, because my salary alone, won't cover all the costs," she adds.
To add insult to injury, Jessie says that her financial troubles are not even her top concern. "As a mother, I am the main parent too, and I often lie awake at night, worrying about small, but significant things like whether or not my children are okay; if I remembered to sign my youngest daughter's reply slip..."
"These things," she says, "have taken its toll on me emotionally. "
When is it time to seek help?
Is Jessie a candidate for anti-depressants? And more importantly, will psychopharmaceutical use make a positive difference in her life?
The stats don't seem to think so.
Because of the respondents who swear by their 'wonder drug', only 39% say that they are actually happy.
To put these findings into perspective, we spoke to mental health expert, Monica Spiro. This is what she had to say:
"Sometimes women turn to medication as a 'quick-fix' rather than addressing the issues that are causing the unhappiness. Medication can be extremely helpful for women suffering from chronic depression, or for those who need assistance to manage an acute event. However, in most cases, medication needs to be combined with psychotherapy to tackle the route cause of the unhappiness rather than simply attempting to 'paper over the cracks'.
"People can be reluctant to embark on this journey," adds Monica, "as it often requires confronting and shifting entrenched patterns of behaviour and sometimes making life changes."
Which begs the question: If so many women are bearing the brunt and shouldering most of the responsibility, where are the husbands and fathers? Are anti-depressants the only answer?
Go on, vent your frustrations. Tell us what you think in the box below.
Women24.com's 2009 Female Nation Survey results have been weighted to represent 600 000 urban South African women who: have Matric as a minimum qualification, are over 21 and are earning R4500 or more a month.
- Women24