The subject of women’s happiness has been thrust into the spotlight recently, following the publication of The Paradox of Declining Female Happiness, a study that shows women are less happy than 40 years ago despite having far more opportunities. A subsequent article by Marcus Buckingham on The Huffington Post sparked debate about the declining happiness of women.

Reactions to the findings are mixed. Bonnie Fuller, President of HollywoodLife.com, responded to Buckingham in an opinion-based article, stating, “Marcus Buckingham, whether it’s our sexual, work, love or beauty lives, women have far more control over these than they did 40 or more years ago. And that means that women are happier, whether they consciously realize it or not!”

Last week, She Takes On The World contributor, Molly Castelazo, looked at declining happiness from a personal angle as a wife, mother, and business owner. In her post she says, “It was probably meant to be an era of women’s liberation – as women felt free to be a homemaker, a nurse, a teacher, or a lawyer, doctor, scientist, CEO, entrepreneur. Yet it has become an era of anxiety as women have felt compelled to devote themselves fully to homemaking and their careers.” Molly raises a good point about the overwhelming amount of pressure women place on themselves.

I was initially skeptical of the study’s findings. I had to read it in full to believe the results. I just couldn’t fathom that women could be less happy than 40 years ago. I immediately thought of the AMC show, Mad Men, which is set in the 1960s, a time when only 37.7% of women participated in the workforce. For those of you who may not have seen the show, it centers in on a fictional New York advertising agency, Sterling Cooper, the epitomy of an “old boy’s club.”

From watching the show I would conclude that women are much happier now than they were at that time. In fact, when I watch the show I often find myself thinking “These poor women! If only they knew that change is coming.” I am very sympathetic towards Peggy Olson, one of the characters. She is fiercely determined and works hard to get promoted from a secretary to a copywriter at the surprise of many.

In today’s world, a woman with Peggy’s ambition could be a top executive, CEO, or successful entrepreneur. If Peggy Olson could glimpse 40 years into the future, I’m sure she would expect women to be much happier because of the progress that has been made and opportunities that women of the 21st century have.

A big question remains about this trend of declining happiness among women: Why? The study does not attempt to answer that question. Is it because women struggle to find work-life balance? Is it because the glass ceiling needs to be broken once and for all? Is it because women spend too much time caring about others and don’t have enough time for themselves? We need to know why the happiness of women is declining so we can work on reversing this disturbing trend.

To begin discovering more about the happiness of women, I put together a very short survey that I would really appreciate you taking the time to answer. Your answers are anonymous to protect your privacy. The purpose of this is to share the results with you so we can begin an important discussion about what makes women unhappy and what we can do about it.

What is your opinion on the study’s findings and people’s reactions? Are you surprised by the declining happiness of women? Do you think there is something we can do about it?