Women report more hair loss than men at every age—is stress at play?

Four generations of women—Gen Zs, Millennials, Gen Xers and Baby Boomers—all report more hair thinning and hair loss than their male counterparts, according to a 2025 Hers study. 

This finding not only contradicts the common perception that men experience hair loss more than women, but it also runs counter to how much the hair loss industry is investing in the market by gender. The male segment is estimated to have a dominant share (61.1%) of the multibillion dollar global hair growth supplement and treatment market. 

According to scientific studies, male pattern hair loss affects about 50% of men by age 50, as compared to approximately 40% of women with female pattern baldness. Yet, in the Hers research, women report experiencing more hair thinning and loss than men. 

Nearly one-quarter (23%) of women 18-to-65 say their hair has gotten thinner compared to 18% of adult men; and 18% of women say they’ve experienced hair loss as compared to 16.5% of men. One potential reason for this difference could be because women in the Hers survey are experiencing other types of hair loss besides just female pattern hair loss. 

Women are 1.5X more likely to say their hair is thinning vs. men (23% of women vs. 16% of men).

Stress and Hair Loss

Hers asked several questions about health in this survey and, other than hair loss, stress was the only significant difference between women’s and men’s health. Aside from men having a slightly higher sex drive than women (16% vs. 13%, respectively), women and men were fairly similar in various aspects of their health, from their sexual health to their weight. Apart from hair loss, the only key difference between genders was in mental health and, specifically, levels of stress. Over the past five years, 28% of women report experiencing more stress, anxiety, and burnout compared to 19.5% of men who said the same. 

While stress level and hair loss aren’t necessarily correlated, they can go hand in hand. According to research, emotional and physiological stress can lead to the development of telogen effluvium, a type of hair loss. 

“Telogen effluvium is a common type of hair loss that can be caused by stress,” says Dr. Mike Bohl, a general practitioner and Director of Medical Content and Authority at Hers. “During telogen effluvium, a large number of hair follicles prematurely enter the resting phase, and then the hair is shed. This condition can last for a few months and is usually temporary.”

Like hair loss, the higher amount of stress women are feeling compared to men occurred at all age levels: 17% of Gen Z women are experiencing more stress vs. 14% of Gen Z men; 26% of Millennial women are more stressed vs. 17% of Millennial men; and 33% of Gen X and Boomer women are more stressed vs. 27% of men. 

In addition to saying they were experiencing more stress and burn out than they were five years ago, women were also more likely than men to describe themselves using words like “stressed” and “burned out.”.

Stress Level By Gender

The good news, however, is that stress-related hair loss is not permanent, and women are prioritizing hair growth and restoration and open to new solutions. 69% of women have either tried hair growth supplements (36%) or are open to it (33%) and 58% of women surveyed have tried hair growth medications (27%) or are open to it (31%). 

This is roughly equal to the percentage of men who have tried, or would be open to trying, hair growth supplements and medications: 64% of men surveyed have tried hair growth supplements in the past (36%) or are open to it in the future (28%); and 59% have tried hair growth medications in the past (32%) or are open to it (27%).

Despite hair loss being scientifically more prevalent among older women, younger women are more open to prescription hair loss treatment than are older women. 61% of Gen Z women and 66% of Millennial women have tried or say they would try hair growth medications, as compared to just 48% of Gen X and Boomer women. 

Tips to Help With Stress-Induced Hair Loss

If you’re experiencing hair loss, thinning, or shedding and think it might have something to do with stress, here are some things you can do to help promote regrowth and prevent hair loss.

1. Talk to a provider: There are many different causes of hair loss. Stress can play a role, but so can genetics, diet, the immune system, and more. To make sure you’re managing your hair loss effectively, it’s important to talk to a healthcare provider—they can help determine the root cause(s) and give you actionable steps to take.
2. Make lifestyle changes: Lifestyle changes can be helpful for different types of hair loss. If you have hair loss due to a vitamin deficiency, for instance, incorporating the vitamin into your diet or taking supplements may help your hair loss. If you think your hair loss may be stress-related, it’s worth seeking medical advice. In addition to helping you identify the root cause of hair loss, a healthcare provider may be able to help you reduce the stress levels in your day-to-day life. They may recommend interventions to help you get better sleep, and increase your exercise, which has been shown to reduce stress levels. Remember that not all stress is psychological—physical stresses on the body can also cause hair loss. If you’ve recently started a new medication or lost a large amount of weight, for example, talk to a provider to see how these things may be playing a role in your life and if there’s anything you can do to address them.
3. Consider medication: Not all types of hair loss can be addressed by lifestyle changes alone. There are treatment options available, like minoxidil, that can help kickstart hair growth. As with any medication, side effects are always a  possibility, so be sure to discuss the options with your provider. There are also other medications that can be effective depending on your specific type of hair loss.
4. Consider different hair styling products or hairstyles: It can take time for hair regrowth to occur. One thing you can do in the meantime is choose products that add volume to your hair or try out new hairstyles that might help make it look like you have a fuller head of hair.

Data & Methodology 

This study is based on a 7,100-person online survey, which included (1) 5,000 18-to-65-year-old respondents in the top 50 metropolitan areas (100 respondents per city); (2) 5,000 18-65-year-old respondents in each of the 50 states (100 respondents per state); and (3) a nationally representative sample of 500 18-to-65-year-old respondents to contextualize results. These three categories are not mutually exclusive; some respondents fall within more than one category. The study was fielded in January 2025. 

Findings were analyzed by 190 demographic and psychographic cuts, including city, region, gender (when Hers refers to “women” and “men,” it includes all people who self-identify as such), age, race and ethnicity, relationship status, parenting status, sexual orientation (heterosexual, bisexual, gay, lesbian, pansexual, asexual, queer, etc.), fandoms (music, sports, etc.), and fitness and diet preferences, among other areas of interest.

This story was produced by Hers and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.