From periods to mood swings, there are so many things that make being a girl so hard at times. As it turns out, that’s true around the world—and especially at age 15. According to The New York Times, the World Health Organization released a study that surveyed “more than 200,000 11-, 13-, and 15-year-old boys and girls across 42 European countries between 2013 and 2014” and found out that boys reported a higher level of life satisfaction than girls did by age 15.Â
Overall, this can be because of a few factors. The study shows that the gender differences changed with age, but once both boys and girls hit 15, the gap was wider. For example, at age 15, girls were more likely to report feeling pressured by schoolwork than boys were. Girls were also more likely to report multiple health complaints across all countries at that age. Even something as small as toothbrushing (girls say they brush more) was measured.Â
Although boys did report a higher life satisfaction than girls did, there were still some differences that were less than positive. The Times also writes that boys were more likely than girls to have had sex “in about half the countries and regions surveyed, particularly in Eastern Europe.” Drug and alcohol use was significantly greater for boys than for girls at age 15 as well.
The study concludes by discussing the need to address these problems at a young age, before puberty. If women are to have any chance of being equally as happy as men, these gender disparities will have to be addressed.Â