Silicon Valley, Nov 01 : Indian women are significantly happier with their lives than men, according to a global survey. Throughout the world, women seem to be happier than men, although the gender gap is most pronounced in the developing nations, according to the Pew Research Center for People and the Press.

About 21 per cent of Indian women respondents rated their lives as being on the highest rung of the ladder of life, compared to 13 per cent of men. In the US, it was 68 per cent for women and 64 per cent for men.


As per the survey, the only major disagreements between the sexes are also in India, where men are much more unhappy about global affairs than women are, and in France and the US, where women are more dissatisfied.

‘‘In particular, women are happier than men in Japan, India, Philippines, Pakistan and Argentina,’’ says the survey, which oversaw 38,000 interviews in 44 countries. The survey found that the happiest people live in the US and Canada. The people least satisfied with their lives are those in eastern and southern Africa, where one-in-five of those surveyed have a negative view of the future.

Women also show greater concern about issues that directly affect the family and home life, while men are more concerned about issues outside the home. For instance, men in more countries mentioned the actions of the government and work-related difficulties when asked an open-ended question about the most important problem facing their family.

Women in more countries volunteer health problems and difficulties with children and education. As expected, economic hardships are the most frequently cited concerns by both sexes.