Depression among middle-aged women is becoming more common as the Institute for Fiscal Studies finds more than one in five are now living with depressive symptoms
Depression has increased in women in their 50s and 60s, with more than one in five living with the mental health condition.
The respected Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has released a report on how depressive symptoms have become more common since the mid 2010s among women aged 55 to 64. It is thought to be linked to the cost of living crisis and financial pressures as they near retirement age.
Britain’s leading independent economic research institute says tackling surging mental and physical health in this age group is key to getting more people working and firing up the economy. The IFS found 15% of women in their late 50s and early 60s reported depressive symptoms in the mid-2010s, rising to 21% by 2023/24.
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The increase has been particularly steep among the least wealthy third of women, with the share experiencing these symptoms rising from around 30% in the mid 2010s to 39% in 2023/24.
However men aged 55 to 64 experiencing depressive symptoms has been stable, averaging 11% over this period, and 22% for the least wealthy third of men.
Middle-aged women also disproportionately bear caring responsibilities for elderly parents, which can cause many to have to leave the workforce.
Bee Boileau, a Research Economist at IFS and an author of the report, said: “Mental health problems are often discussed as a young person’s problem. The rise in mental health problems among women in their late 50s and early 60s in recent years, particularly among poorer women, shows that this is not the whole story.”
Worse mental health among poorer middle aged women are now mirroring a trend seen with physical health. The IFS report found mobility problems among people aged 55 to 64 fell for both men (from 32% to 22%) and women (from 43% to 36%). However the poorest third of women saw no improvement over the two decades, with around 55% still reporting at least one mobility problem.
The Government has a target to increase the employment rate of 16- to 64-year-olds to 80% from its current rate of 75%.
Employment rates of older working-age people in the UK are well below those in many other high-income countries and the report warns that the worsening mental health of middle aged women could make this worse.
Researcher Bee Boileau added: “Policymakers looking to increase employment for those in the run-up to state pension age – a group for whom there is likely to be significant potential to boost employment rates – should take account of the headwind from worsening mental health for poor women.”
Overall health – measured by an index of physical and mental conditions predictive of work capacity – has improved slightly on average over the last two decades among men in their late 50s and early 60s. However overall health of women of the same age remains lower than men’s and has remained broadly stable.
The report also found that in 2002/03 some 7% of both men and women aged 55–64 reported six or more health problems, out of a set of twelve. However by 2023/24 almost four times as many women as men reported six or more health problems, at 3% of men compared to 11% of women.