Women have a hard time not feeling guilty

London: If you skipped the gym or forgot to phone your mother this week, you are probably feeling guilty right now. Especially, it seems, if you are a woman.

A survey has found that more than 96 per cent of women feel guilty at least once a day, while for almost half, the feeling strikes up to four times a day. Dubbed the GAT (guilty all the time) generation, the study found women beat themselves up daily about their friendships, relationships, work and body shape.

It also discovered that almost half of respondents were kept awake at night by guilt, while three-quarters said they had experienced more guilt since giving birth.

Eating unhealthily topped the list of causes, followed by not spending enough time with family and neglecting work.

Susan Carrell, author of Escaping Toxic Guilt, said: "Women feel guilt when they don't think they are being good enough in their various roles — especially as wife, mother and daughter. That's because familial, cultural and religious tenets teach women that being ‘good' is the most important thing."

She added: "When a woman feels she is not putting another first, she quickly feels like she's doing something bad, then guilt rushes in."

Of the 1,324 women and 55 men questioned by Stylist magazine, 92 per cent claimed that men felt less guilt than women.