More than half of women in Britain think everyday life is easier for men and are fed up of leading dull and gruelling treadmill lifestyles, a survey revealed today.
Juggling punishing work and household roles with spiralling debts, rubbish sex and social lives and the pressures of having a perfect body are blamed for triggering a lifestyle crisis in many women.
Eight out of 10 women (81%) said they wish they could change their lives, 67% feel like they are on a treadmill and are worn out, and 60% think life is easier for men, according to The Female Lifestyle Survey of Great Britain 2004.
And the experience of a mundane and tiring existence is driving women to hit the bottle and raid the fridge in an attempt to de-stress, according to the poll of 2,000 women with the average age of 38, by health magazine Top Sante.
More than half (59%) admitted to drinking alcohol and 74% confessed to comfort eating to relax and unwind from everyday life.
Marina Gask, editor of Top Sante magazine, said: "The `have it all' dream has turned into a `do it all' nightmare. Women are bombarded with lifestyle images of perfectly proportioned celebrities who seem to have everything, without much effort.
"In reality, most women struggle to look after their family and hold down a demanding job to make ends meet. Despite their hard work many are up to their necks in debt and they feel emotionally drained, financially unsuccessful and unfulfilled sexually and socially.
"In short, they are going through a lifestyle crisis and want to change their lives."
Coping with endless different roles was a major problem according to 87% of women quizzed with 62% saying their greatest obstacle to happiness is their work/life balance, 66% wanting to quit the rat-race, and 52% wanting to change their job.
Nine out of 10 women who work full-time (86%) said they still do most of the household chores and 77% said they take the lion's share of responsibility for looking after the children.
More than half the women polled (56%) said the emotion they feel most on a daily basis is frustration.
Six out of 10 (59%) blamed a poor sex life for making them miserable while a similar number (58%) cited an unfulfilling social life.
Lack of cash is another issue with eight out of 10 women (78%) saying they find life in Britain financially draining, 52% saying their finances are haphazard or out of control, 49% admitting they spend more than they earn and 55% who are saddled with credit card debts.
But one of the top causes of the female blues, according to the poll, is the quest for a perfect body.
Unhappy
Nine out of 10 surveyed (92%) said they are unhappy with their looks and 85% of women said they think about their size and shape every day and that their poor image spoils their enjoyment of life.
Even 80% of women who were classed as "normal weight" wish they were slimmer and feel more pressure from other women over their looks - 77% say other women rather than men are more likely to criticise them.
Three-quarters of women think their life would be better if they were happy with their body and 26% said they are prepared to go under the knife to improve their looks - 5% of women under 38 already have.
Cosmetic procedures women are most likely to have, according to the survey, are breast enlargement, breast reduction, botox injections, liposuction, tightening of the jaw line, tummy tuck, lines around the eyes and a half face lift.
Age is another thorn in women's sides with 93% of women feeling unhappy about getting older.
Celebrity role models Victoria Beckham, Jordan and Cherie Blair are the most disliked and are not helpful to ordinary women 56% said. Women most admire their mother, Madonna and Margaret Thatcher.
Hollywood star Catherine Zeta Jones was named the most beautiful women in the world in the survey. The perfect woman would have her face and breasts, the hair of former Friends star Jennifer Aniston, Kylie Minogue's bottom and Victoria Beckham's legs.
Other female headaches revealed in the poll included irritation at the cost of housing (77%), the level of violent crime (71%), the state of the NHS (60%) the long hours work culture (51%), the climate (48%), the unfriendly culture (42%), poor public transport (39%), the quality of education (37%), the sex-soaked society (33%) and status anxiety (37%).
In fact more than four in 10 women (44%) are so fed up with life in Britain they would rather live abroad. The top 10 dream boltholes were Australia, Spain, America, France, New Zealand, Canada, Italy, Greece, Portugal and Cyprus.
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women are all miserable.
If their lives are grim it's because they make them that way. If they could get their heads out of a magazine for five minutes and try to banish the thought of shoes they may realise that life's not so bad.
I feel even more fed up now!
Do NOT bolt for Southern California. If you have "body issues" in Manchester, imagine what you'll encounter in a coastal community such as mine. I'm a mature, fuller-figured woman, not a 20 year-old Size 0, and it's a daily struggle to maintain my emotional equilibrium. A strong sense of the absurd helps too.
Im a woman and Im very happy. Maybe its just the women that come into contact with you that become miserable Rob?
Or maybe its the fact that females have much greater demands made of them day to day in society for much less reward? Or maybe its the papercuts from all the magazines we are supposed to be reading..?
What is all this about? I am a woman, i want more money, a better job et all, but my god, before i get there, I'm going to have fun on the way!! Yes i drink more than i should, i diet but love my figure, am definitely sexually fulfilled. Life is fabulous!! Women who constantly moan should get off the arse and do something about it, otherwise SHUT UP and let the rest of us get on with our happy existence! p.s. and we all know there are lies, damn lies and statistics!!
What the problem really is, I believe, is what kind of model women have. I have a fiancC)e that fondly love, but very often I hear her and her friends talking about celebrities or other friends of theirs and what they look like and their figures, and so on. Never how intelligent and successful Nobel Prize Rita Levi is. I perfectly know I do not look like Brad Pitt and she doesn't look like Kate Moss. These are not models. The real models we should have are all the good people man and women that we see in the streets every day, that live for one another and together establish a life of mutual respect and love. The people that work day in day out, with their little dreams and little failures. I'm happy with I am and have and I love her for what she is. For I know she'll be a loving wife and caring mother. That's all that matters. And please can anyone of you tell me what can beat a night with your mates having a beer and a laugh, or a sunny afternoon with your family and kids? If you don't think that's all that really counts you do not deserve it!
P.s. I'm an expat Manc that lives in Italy and love every minute of it, though miss home.
Yes there is an answer! Women can make a mega lifestyle change. Others have done this and have found a new life. Here in Cyprus the lifestyle is good, much more relaxing than the UK even when you are working. Imagine being able to go to the beach for a swim after work... There's a good website that is very helpful called www.dreamlivescyprus.com which includes a personal feedback section to answer any questions you might have about making the move. The treadmill stuff doesn't feel half so bad when you have a sunny environment - try it!!
The women who want to move to america are crazy. it is more of a ratrace here and we fell the same about our life only tenfold. I would love to move out of america to find an easier life.