Supporting women and their mental health
Studies show that one in five women suffer from common mental health issues, such as depression, stress, anxiety and feelings of isolation.
Why do we think this is?
Worldwide, women and their children are more likely to be exposed to and affected by domestic violence, war, homelessness, and natural disasters, than men.
It is also more common for women to leave their jobs and stay at home with their children.
Whether they are mothers or not, women are generally expected to be more agreeable and supportive towards their friends, family members and even colleagues at work, as compared to their male counterparts. However, research suggests that this might be largely due to cultural expectations.
Whatever has been accepted as normal in our modern society, one thing to note is that there really is a difference in the physical anatomy of our brains, not just our bodies!
Two different types of brains
Research shows that the human brain is constructed of both white and grey matter, but these areas are laid out differently between the sexes.
Grey matter is where localised information and action-processing is done, while white matter areas are actually a networking grid that allows the brain’s grey matter to communicate between themselves, as well as with the rest of the body.
Male brains actively use six and a half times more grey matter, while female brains utilise nearly 10 times more white matter. This means that male brains are optimised for intrahemispheric communication, whereas female brains are optimised for interhemispheric communication.
Simply put, female-bodied humans excel at multitasking, while male-bodied humans excel at task-focused projects. Male brains tend towards using logic to solve problems, whereas females tend to do better with trusting their feelings and intuition.
These grey-white matter differences could also explain why some people feel like they were born in the wrong bodies, but that’s a topic for another time.
Issues at play in women’s mental health needs
Sex, gender, social, and economic differences all play a role in the different issues at play in women’s mental health needs. Here are a few of the key issues that women face which greatly affect their mental health in negative ways.
Misogyny
Research shows that both internalised misogyny by women, including undervaluing themselves as well as other women, self-objectification and self-sexualization etc.; as well as externalised misogyny by men, including sexism in the workplace, at home, and seeing women as less valuable in general; is a cause of psychological distress in women.
Depression and Anxiety
Women are two-times more likely than men to experience depression and anxiety. Beyond socio-economic factors, this could also simply be genetic in nature as interesting studies are being done that suggest the male body’s testosterone could be a factor in increasing their resilience to these experiences.
Trauma & PTSD
PTSD in women is typically the result of domestic violence and sexual abuse, which doubles women’s likelyhood to experience PTSD.
Racism and Assault
In Canada, studies show that just over half of Indigenous women tend to be victims of assault, in comparison to about a third of non-Indigenous women, and 8 per cent in men.
Eating Disorders
Bulimia, anorexia and binge eating predominantly affect more women than men.
Substance Misuse
Women are at an increased risk of developing substance misuse issues when they have been victims of abuse and can be exposed to smaller amounts of certain drugs for less time before becoming addicted.
We are standing up to support women
Being a woman shouldn’t be this hard. And so we are excited to invite women of Wood Buffalo to join us on Saturday, May 13, 2023 for She Wins: Women’s Celebration Event. This event is all about supporting women’s mindfulness, well-being and self-care. Learn more about how women can incorporate mindfulness into their daily lives while connecting with others in the community.