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xxx                         How I AcHIeved ReAl SucceSS

          Statistics substantiate Śrīla Prabhupāda’s observation. A study
          conducted by economists Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers
          entitled ‘The Paradox of Declining Female Happiness’ analyzes
          data regarding happiness trends in citizens of the United States
          and other industrialized countries from 1970 to 2005. It states
          “By many objective measures the lives of women in the United
          States have improved over the past 35 years, yet we show
          that measures of subjective well-being indicate that women’s
          happiness has declined both absolutely and relative to men.
          The paradox of women’s declining relative well-being is found
          across various datasets, measures of subjective well-being, and
          is pervasive across demographic groups and industrialized
          countries.” 1

          Feminists would be quick to point out that it simply confirms
          their claim that the women are unhappy because of being
          discriminated against and still much needs to be implemented
          regarding achieving equality. But, as pointed out in the paper,
          objective measures clearly demonstrate that the women’s
          movement has been successful in achieving many of their
          goals: “the gender wage gap has partly closed; educational
          attainment has risen and is now surpassing that of men;
          women have gained an unprecedented level of control over
          fertility; technological change in the form of new domestic
          appliances has freed women from domestic drudgery; and
          women’s freedoms within both the family and market sphere
          have expanded.” And so the paradox: “Given these shifts of
          rights and bargaining power from men to women over the
          past 35 years, holding all else equal, we might expect to see

          1. Stevenson, Betsey, and Justin Wolfers. “The Paradox of
          Declining Female Happiness.” American Economic Journal: Economic
          Policy 1, no. 2 (2009): 190–225.
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