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Gender, loneliness and happiness during COVID-19

Author

Listed:
  • Anthony Lepinteur

    (uni.lu - Université du Luxembourg = University of Luxembourg = Universität Luxemburg)

  • Andrew E. Clark

    (PSE - Paris School of Economics - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - ENPC - École des Ponts ParisTech - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement, PJSE - Paris Jourdan Sciences Economiques - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - ENPC - École des Ponts ParisTech - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement)

  • Ada Ferrer-I-Carbonell

    (IAE-CSIC)

  • Alan Piper

    (University of Leeds)

  • Carsten Schröder

    (DIW Berlin - Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung)

  • Conchita d'Ambrosio

    (uni.lu - Université du Luxembourg = University of Luxembourg = Universität Luxemburg)

Abstract

We analyse a measure of loneliness from a representative sample of German individuals interviewed in both 2017 and at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Both men and women felt lonelier during the COVID-19 pandemic than they did in 2017. The pandemic more than doubled the gender loneliness gap: women were lonelier than men in 2017, and the 2017-2020 rise in loneliness was far larger for women. This rise is mirrored in life-satisfaction scores. Men's life satisfaction changed only little between 2017 and 2020; yet that of women fell dramatically, and sufficiently so to produce a female penalty in life satisfaction. We estimate that almost all of this female penalty is explained by the disproportionate rise in loneliness for women during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Suggested Citation

  • Anthony Lepinteur & Andrew E. Clark & Ada Ferrer-I-Carbonell & Alan Piper & Carsten Schröder & Conchita d'Ambrosio, 2022. "Gender, loneliness and happiness during COVID-19," Post-Print halshs-03956344, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:halshs-03956344
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socec.2022.101952
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Andrew E. Clark & Anthony Lepinteur, 2022. "Pandemic Policy and Life Satisfaction in Europe," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 68(2), pages 393-408, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Rodrigo Montero & Natalia Bernal, 2024. "Gender and Well-Being Disparities Among People who Work from Home in Chile," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 25(6), pages 1-22, August.
    2. Gabriela Mihaela Muresan & Codruta Mare & Dan Tudor Lazar & Sorin Paul Lazar, 2023. "Can Health Insurance Improve the Happiness of the Romanian People?," The AMFITEATRU ECONOMIC journal, Academy of Economic Studies - Bucharest, Romania, vol. 25(64), pages 903-903, August.
    3. Kong, Nancy & Lam, Jack, 2024. "Physical isolation and loneliness: Evidence from COVID lock-downs in Australia," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 224(C), pages 598-623.
    4. Indera Ratna Irawati Pattinasarany, 2024. "Happiness amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia: exploring gender, residence type, and pandemic severity," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-15, December.
    5. David Blanchflower & Alex Bryson, 2024. "The Gender Well-Being Gap," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 173(3), pages 1-45, July.
    6. Lepinteur, Anthony & Rebechi, Alessio & Clark, Andrew E. & D'Ambrosio, Conchita & Rohde, Nicholas & Vögele, Claus, 2024. "Loneliness during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence from Five European Countries," IZA Discussion Papers 17223, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    7. Barjaková, Martina & Garnero, Andrea & d’Hombres, Béatrice, 2023. "Risk factors for loneliness: A literature review," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 334(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Loneliness; Life satisfaction; Gender; COVID-19; SOEP;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I10 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - General
    • I14 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Inequality
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • I30 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General

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