Midlife Crisis Becomes An Issue for More Women Part 2

By Sue Shellenbarger

The "midlife crisis" has long been thought of as something that afflicts men and often involves expensive toys and second wives. But the Wall Street Journal's Work & Family columnist, Sue Shellenbarger, says that as gender roles change, women are increasingly experiencing their own version of these upheavals. What follows is adapted from her new book, "The Breaking Point: How Female Midlife Crisis Is Transforming Today's Women."

Gender Differences

Real differences are emerging in how women and men experience midlife crisis. A variety of studies suggest that women not only undergo bigger changes than men in middle age, but they also by some measures have a more positive attitude about their prospects in life.

Women experience a more dramatic rebound in personal fulfillment at midlife, on the heels of a deeper dip than men in their child-rearing years. A study of MacArthur Foundation data by Dr. Wethington, Ronald Kessler of the Harvard Medical School, and Joy Pixley of the University of California at Irvine found that only 24% of women ages 35 through 49 said they had "fulfilled a special dream" in the past five years, such as acquiring money or property, accomplishing something noteworthy, finding a partner, or getting married. For adult women, this was the lowest ebb of fulfillment in their entire adult lives. By contrast, 40% of the men in the same age group reported dream fulfillment.

But the pattern quickly reverses over the age of 50. The study shows 36% of women ages 50 through 64 report reaching some fulfilling goal in the preceding five years, suggesting midlife can be a time of powerful renewal for women. In contrast, men's dream fulfillment goes downhill from their mid-30s on, sinking to 28% from ages 50 to 64, and 27% after that.

The triggers of midlife crisis reflect sex differences, too. Women's midlife crises are more likely than men's to begin with family events or problems, Dr. Wethington says, from a divorce or a parent's death to an extramarital affair, to the realization you haven't met your own standards or goals as a parent.

Whereas male midlife crisis is more likely to be driven by work or career issues, women's turmoil is more likely to be driven by introspection. Women are more likely to attribute their midlife crises to some new insight into themselves through religion, therapy or reflection. Women are more likely to cite personal health problems as the cause of their midlife crises. This can include worries about slowing down or about losing one's attractiveness, based on the MacArthur Foundation research.

Perhaps most significant for the culture, women are innately more likely than men to talk with others about their inner turmoil, to openly seek solutions, and to look for remedies in community and society. That suggests their midlife transitions will send increasingly visible ripple effects through society.

Read Part 1 ,

Part 3 Ripple effects ,

Part 4 Looking back

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