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Gender, loneliness and happiness during COVID-19

Author

Listed:
  • Anthony Lepinteur

    (uni.lu - Université du Luxembourg = University of Luxembourg = Universität Luxemburg)

  • Andrew E. Clark

    (PSE - Paris School of Economics - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - ENPC - École nationale des ponts et chaussées - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement, PJSE - Paris Jourdan Sciences Economiques - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - ENPC - École nationale des ponts et chaussées - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement)

  • Ada Ferrer-I-Carbonell

    (IAE-CSIC)

  • Alan Piper

    (University of Leeds)

  • Carsten Schröder

    (DIW Berlin - Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung)

  • Conchita d'Ambrosio

    (uni.lu - Université du Luxembourg = University of Luxembourg = Universität Luxemburg)

Abstract

We analyse a measure of loneliness from a representative sample of German individuals interviewed in both 2017 and at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Both men and women felt lonelier during the COVID-19 pandemic than they did in 2017. The pandemic more than doubled the gender loneliness gap: women were lonelier than men in 2017, and the 2017-2020 rise in loneliness was far larger for women. This rise is mirrored in life-satisfaction scores. Men's life satisfaction changed only little between 2017 and 2020; yet that of women fell dramatically, and sufficiently so to produce a female penalty in life satisfaction. We estimate that almost all of this female penalty is explained by the disproportionate rise in loneliness for women during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Suggested Citation

  • Anthony Lepinteur & Andrew E. Clark & Ada Ferrer-I-Carbonell & Alan Piper & Carsten Schröder & Conchita d'Ambrosio, 2022. "Gender, loneliness and happiness during COVID-19," PSE-Ecole d'économie de Paris (Postprint) halshs-03956344, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:pseptp:halshs-03956344
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socec.2022.101952
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    Cited by:

    1. Lisa Schmid & Pablo Christmann & Anne-Sophie Oehrlein & Annika Stein & Carolin Thönnissen, 2024. "Life Satisfaction during the Second Lockdown of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Germany: The Effects of Local Restrictions and Respondents’ Perceptions about the Pandemic," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 19(2), pages 445-467, April.
    2. Tim Friehe & Christian Pfeifer, 2025. "Unemployment’s Life-Satisfaction Cost and Loneliness," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 26(6), pages 1-27, August.
    3. Baktash, Mehrzad B., 2024. "Does Performance Pay Increase the Risk of Worker Loneliness?," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1524, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    4. Jeehoon Han & Caspar Kaiser, 2024. "Time use and happiness: US evidence across three decades," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 37(1), pages 1-25, March.
    5. Amy K. Østertun Geirdal & Janni Leung & Daicia Price & Isaac Kabelenga & Gary Lamph & Hilde Thygesen & Mary R. Ruffolo & Tore Bonsaksen, 2024. "Associations Between Demographic Variables, Psychosocial Health, Quality of Life, and Happiness in the Context of COVID-19," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 19(2), pages 603-617, April.
    6. Indera Ratna Irawati Pattinasarany, 2024. "Happiness amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia: exploring gender, residence type, and pandemic severity," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-15, December.
    7. Rodrigo Montero & Natalia Bernal, 2024. "Gender and Well-Being Disparities Among People who Work from Home in Chile," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 25(6), pages 1-22, August.
    8. Barjaková, Martina & Garnero, Andrea & d’Hombres, Béatrice, 2023. "Risk factors for loneliness: A literature review," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 334(C).
    9. Tessier, Philippe & Wolff, François-Charles, 2025. "Did the COVID-19 pandemic change the importance of health for life satisfaction? Evidence from France," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 56(C).
    10. Lewandowski, Piotr & Lipowska, Katarzyna & Smoter, Mateusz, 2024. "Preference for working from home – subjective perceptions of COVID-19 matter more than objective information on occupational exposure to contagion," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    11. Rebechi, Alessio & Lepinteur, Anthony & Clark, Andrew E. & Rohde, Nicholas & Vögele, Claus & D’Ambrosio, Conchita, 2024. "Loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from five European countries," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 55(C).
    12. David Blanchflower & Alex Bryson, 2024. "The Gender Well-Being Gap," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 173(3), pages 1-45, July.
    13. Gabriela Mihaela Muresan & Codruta Mare & Dan Tudor Lazar & Sorin Paul Lazar, 2023. "Can Health Insurance Improve the Happiness of the Romanian People?," The AMFITEATRU ECONOMIC journal, Academy of Economic Studies - Bucharest, Romania, vol. 25(64), pages 903-903, August.
    14. Kong, Nancy & Lam, Jack, 2024. "Physical isolation and loneliness: Evidence from COVID lock-downs in Australia," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 224(C), pages 598-623.
    15. Linghui Yang & Hamdan Amer Ali Al-Jaifi & Kelvin Yong Ming Lee, 2024. "A dynamic bibliometric analysis of financial inclusion and happiness with CiteSpace," Cogent Economics & Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 12(1), pages 2414236-241, December.

    More about this item

    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • I10 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - General
    • I14 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Inequality
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • I30 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General

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