title: Macro-level gender equality and depression in men and women in Europe.
abstract: A recurrent finding in international literature is a greater prevalence of depression in women than in men. While explanations for this gender gap have been studied extensively at the individual level, few researchers have studied macro-level determinants of depression in men and women. In the current study we aim to examine the micro-macro linkage of the relationship between gender equality and depression by gender in Europe, using data from the European Social Survey, 2006-2007 (N=39,891). Using a multilevel framework we find that a high degree of macro-level gender equality is related to lower levels of depression in both women and men. It is also related to a smaller gender difference in depression, but only for certain social subgroups and only for specific dimensions of gender equality.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, Ghent University, Belgium. sarah.vandevelde@ugent.be
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Van de Velde
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Huijts
authors.forename: Piet
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bracke
authors.forename: Clare
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bambra
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D054625:Healthcare Disparities; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012737:Sex Factors