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Gender Dimensions of Life Quality for Adults in Australia

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Gender, Lifespan and Quality of Life

Part of the book series: Social Indicators Research Series ((SINS,volume 53))

Abstract

The results presented in this chapter are derived from the cumulative data base generated by 19 surveys of the Australian Unity Wellbeing Index conducted over the period 2001–2008. Each survey involves a fresh, national sample of 2,000 people. The results shed new light onto the way in which gender interacts with other demographic variables to predict Subjective Wellbeing (SWB). For example, the SWB of males seems to be more fragile. When groups are identified as living under challenging conditions, such as living alone or being unemployed, female wellbeing is higher. Thus, females appear to be more resilient than males. The results also show some trends that cannot be readily explained. For example, gender differences show a significant interaction with the era of the survey. It is concluded that male and female wellbeing is differentially and systematically affected by demographic variables, including era. This has important reliability implications for the numerous extant reports concerning gender differences based on single cross-sectional studies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Psychology Burwood Campus, Deakin University, Burwood Highway 221, 3125, Burwood, VIC, Australia

    Prof. Robert A. Cummins

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  1. Prof. Robert A. Cummins
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Correspondence to Robert A. Cummins .

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  1. Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia

    Elizabeth Eckermann

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Cummins, R. (2014). Gender Dimensions of Life Quality for Adults in Australia. In: Eckermann, E. (eds) Gender, Lifespan and Quality of Life. Social Indicators Research Series, vol 53. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7829-0_3

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