Sex Differences in Depression Reexamined

This study uses data from a survey conducted in 1974 to compare rates of depressive symptoms among married couples (N = 752) differentiated by the traditional or nontraditional sex-role relationship (division of labor) in the family. Wives reported more symptoms of depression than husbands in both nontraditional (in which both husband and wife work) and traditional relationships. Within-sex analyses show that the employment status of the wife has no significant effect on depression scores. Although these results corroborate some earlier findings regarding sex differences in depression, e.g., that women have higher rates, they do not corroborate the data (collected in I965) reported by Rosenfield (1980), in which the males in nontraditional relationships have higher rates of depression than the females.