Table 1 Distribution of the dependent and independent variables (%) in total and by gender; p-values for chi-square tests regarding the distribution between women and men

Gendered life:

Traditional childhood: (mother no paid work)

49.8

50.3

49.4

0.778

Traditional ideology (age 30): (indifferent/against gender equality)

27.3

19.2

34.6

<0.001

Traditional childcare (age 30): (Women: most/all Men: less/nothing)

60.6

67.0

52.8

<0.001

Traditional partnership (age 42): (tolerably/hardly/not equal)

19.7

23.1

16.3

0.019

Traditional childcare (age 42): (Women: most/all Men: less/nothing)

41.9

56.7

25.7

<0.001

Health baseline:

Anxious symptoms last year (age 16): (often/always)

1.4

2.3

0.6

0.020

Depressive symptoms last year (age 16): (often/always)

6.4

10.6

2.5

<0.001

Social confounding:

Perceived working class (age 16)

15.9

12.9

18.7

0.013

Divorced/dead parents (age 16)

22.8

22.5

23.2

0.780

Mandatory schooling (age 30)

8.7

7.7

9.7

0.279

Not married/cohabiting (age 30)

23.0

19.7

26.1

0.019

No children (age 30)

17.9

11.7

23.7

<0.001

Health outcome:

Anxious symptoms last year (age 42): (often/always)

7.1

8.9

5.4

0.035

Depressive symptoms last year (age 42): (often/always)

9.9

14.0

6.0

<0.001