Profile of an Unhappy Worker: Unmarried Woman Lawyer, Doctor, 42

By Cynthia Hsu, Esq. on September 12, 2011 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Are you a 40-something year old single professional woman making less than six figures a year? If you are, you must be incredibly unhappy.

This according to a recent survey which revealed the profiles of unhappy workers.

Those who were the unhappiest were single females, aged 42, in "professional" jobs (think doctor or lawyer), making less than $100k a year.

What about the "happiest" person, according to the survey? Well, that lucky worker is a 39-year-old male who's married with a wife who works part time. He also has a young child at home and works in a senior management position, raking in around $150k-200k a year.

One wonders why the "unhappiest" worker is categorized as a professional worker like a lawyer.

Is it because attorneys face never-ending piles of document review? Maybe it's because they face a barrage of adversity not only in the courtroom but often from clients themselves? Or, is it because attorneys are so deeply entrenched in making sure they bill every last minute that they've likely developed a nervous tic by the time they're 40?

Maybe, though it seems doubtful. After all, being a lawyer is all kinds of awesome!

At least, that's what law schools they tell those newly admitted law school students.

The survey also dived into other interesting facets of women, men and work/life balance. While men and women are supposed to be equal, women still take on a disparate amount of chores at home. And, men seem to be consistently happier both at work and at home.

What does this all mean in the end, and how do you avoid being a picture-perfect profile of an unhappy worker? Well first, don't take too much stock in this survey business. And, just make sure you use whatever little free time you have for some fun.

Related Resources:

Copied to clipboard