Happiness: Before and After the Kids

Abstract

Understanding how having children influences the parents' subjective well-being ("happiness") has great potential to explain fertility behavior. Most prior research on this topic is limited in that it uses cross-sectional data or has not considered modifying factors. We study parental happiness trajectories before and after the birth of a child using large British and German longitudinal data sets. We account for unobserved parental characteristics using fixed effects models and study how sociodemographic factors modify the parental happiness trajectories. Overall, we find that happiness increases in the years around the birth of the first child, then decreases to before-child levels. Sociodemographic factors strongly modify this pattern. Those who have children at older ages and those with higher socioeconomic resources have more positive and lasting happiness response to a first birth than younger or less educated parents. We also find that although the first two children increase happiness, the third does not. The results are similar in Britain and Germany and suggest that up to two, children increase happiness, and mostly among those who postpone childbearing. This pattern, which is consistent with the behavior emerging during the second demographic transition, provides new insights into the factors behind low and late fertility. Acknowledgements:We are grateful for comments from

Fertility and Life Satisfaction in Rural Ethiopia

“…This shift is particularly significant for female well-being (Clark et al, 2008), while it does not hold for third or higher-order births (Myrskylä and Margolis, 2014).…”

“…While recently explored for developed countries (e.g. Aassve et al, 2012;Clark et al, 2008;Myrskylä and Margolis, 2014;Nomaguchi and Milkie, 2003;Pollmann-Schult, 2014), it is still an open question what is the empirical relationship between subjective well-being and fertility in developing ones. In particular, this relationship can be completely different due to high fertility and to the features of the context.…”

“…Moreover, the link between parenthood and subjective well-being changes over time: happiness increases in the years around the birth of a child and then decreases to before-child levels (Clark et al, 2008;Myrskylä and Margolis, 2014). This shift is particularly significant for female well-being (Clark et al, 2008), while it does not hold for third or higher-order births (Myrskylä and Margolis, 2014).…”

Gimstamumo, laimės ir lyčių vaidmenų sąsajos

“…Pirma kryptis -individo laimė nulemia prokreacinę elgseną (Parr, 2010;Billari, 2009). Antroji kryptis -vaikų susilaukimas veikia laimės lygį (Myrskyla, Margolis, 2014). Trečioji kryptis ne tik empirinė, bet ir išplečianti teorinę aprėptį -laimės ir vaikų susilaukimo ryšį veikia institucinis, kultūrinis ir socialinis bei ekonominis kontekstai: siekiant vertinti vaikų susilaukimo poveikį individo laimės lygiui (arba laimės poveikį susilaukti vaikų), analizuojamas turinčių ir neturinčių vaikų laimės lygis, atsižvelgiama į įvairias socialines ir demografines charakteristikas, ypač tėvų, ir pan.…”

“…-vaikų susilaukimas teigiamai veikia laimės lygį, tačiau efektas gali būti silpnas (Billari, 2009;Billari, Kohler, 2010;Baranowska, Matysiak, 2011;Aassve, Goisis, Sironi, 2012); -vaikų susilaukimas neigiamai veikia subjektyvios gerovės lygį arba poveikio nėra (Clark ir kt., 2008;Stanca, 2012;Myrskyla, Margolis, 2014). Nevienodi tyrimų rezultatai verčia abejoti Billari (2009) pasiūlyta koncepcija.…”