Paris (France) (AFP) – From puberty, the pressure of the perfect body, then that of the ideal mother, to the loneliness of widowhood: a report published Monday analyzes how injunctions, violence and inequalities further weaken the mental health of women.

Published on: 02/11/2026 - 22:59

The work, carried out by the High Council for Equality between Women and Men (HCE), is based on an observation: the prevalence of depressive disorders is 18.2% in women compared to 12.8% in men, according to a study published at the end of 2025 by Public Health France (SpF).

“This gap appears from puberty and is found at all ages of life, in all social environments, and on a global scale,” underlines the HCE.

Its authors, who rely on a large scientific literature, immediately disqualify the “naturalizing reading” of a “supposed female vulnerability to depression”.

It is during adolescence, from the age of 12, that the tipping point occurs.

It is observed in class with, at the end of secondary school, 57.7% of girls reporting "good mental well-being" compared to 80.3% of boys, according to an SpF survey, published in June.

But also in hospitals: in 2025, there will be nearly five hospitalizations for attempted suicide or self-mutilation per 1,000 girls aged 10 to 19, the highest rate for all ages and sexes combined, according to figures from Drees, the statistical department of social ministries.

Poorly identified vulnerabilities...

At this age, body image is more “a source of concern” for girls than for boys, says the HCE, with surveys to support it. These pressures can promote anorexia, more than 80% of cases involving girls. This disorder is associated with an up to four times increased risk of experiencing a major depressive episode.

The report also points to social networks and their filters which offer "retouched and idealized versions of the face and body", but also algorithms which can expose adolescent girls identified as vulnerable to "pro-anorexia communities", less than 30 minutes after creating an account.

Five times more targeted than boys by "revenge porn" (non-consensual sharing of intimate images), adolescent girls are also more often victims of cyberharassment, which increases the risk of suffering from depression by 2.73, reports the HCE.

As an adult, motherhood remains a poorly recognized moment of vulnerability. Around half of depressions during pregnancy and a third of those occurring after childbirth are not identified, according to the HCE, which calls for psychological support to be systematically offered after a miscarriage or neonatal death.

Women also come up against the ideal of the “good mother”, notes the HCE, which can slow down recourse to care, for fear of judgment.

...and sometimes cumulative

At work too, constraints accumulate. Very feminized, the care, service and social connection professions combine physical efforts, emotional demands and atypical hours, underlines the HCE, which calls for better recognition of their arduousness.

Work-related psychological disorders affect 5.9% of women, compared to 2.7% of men, according to data cited by the High Council.

These inequalities continue into retirement. In the European Union, the pensions of women aged 65 and over were on average around 25% lower than those of men in 2024, the report notes. This limits their possibilities of financing home help or psychological care.

In old age, widowhood, more common among women, sometimes associated with chronic illnesses and loss of autonomy, can further weaken their mental health. Living alone or being widowed is associated with a higher probability

high rate of depression among elderly women, underlines the HCE.

Signs of depression, such as sadness and withdrawal, are often attributed to age, regrets the advisory body. Some older women also refrain from asking for help, for fear of disturbing them.

The High Council calls for better documentation of these disorders, which are still little studied in elderly women, "to develop preventive measures and appropriate care".

© 2026 AFP

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