When is the Second One Coming? The Effect of Couple’s Subjective Well-Being Following the Onset of Parenthood

Abstract

Parenthood has strong effects on people's life. Some of these effects are positive and some negative and may influence the decision of having other children after the first. Demographic research has only marginally addressed the relationship between subjective well-being and fertility, and even less attention has been reserved to investigate how the subjective experience of the first parenthood may influence the decision to have a second child. Performing log-logistic hazard models using HILDA panel data (2001-2012), changes in couples' objective life conditions and satisfaction within family and work domains after the first childbirth are related to the timing of the transition to the second parenthood. Results show that partners adopting traditional gender specialization in roles proceed quicker to the second child; however, experiencing dissatisfaction in reconciling, in the couple's relationship and in the work domain negatively affects mothers' probability of having a second child in the future. Keywords Fertility Á Second child Á Life satisfaction Á Work-family reconciliation Á Hazard models This paper uses unit record data from the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey. The HILDA Project was initiated and is funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services (DSS) and is managed by the

Childcare arrangements and working mothers’ satisfaction with work‒family balance

“…Taken together our analyses are suggestive of the idea that policies devoted at improving the flexibility and the affordability of paid childcare services are a way to increase mothers' satisfaction with the work-family balance, which might bring as a consequence an increasing presence and stability of women in the labour market. An increased satisfaction with work-family balance may also increase the likelihood of having an additional child, as the difficulties to balance family and work are often among the main reasons behind the decision to postpone or not to have another child (Luppi 2016). The issue might become even more urgent if we consider that grandparents' availability is not so obvious in a context where young people work and live at long distance from their original family, and when age at first parenthood is increasing.…”

Gimstamumo, laimės ir lyčių vaidmenų sąsajos

“…Vis dažniau pagrindiniu veiksniu įvardijamas kontekstas, ypač institucinis, nes individo siekiams reikalingos atitinkamos jų realizavimo galimybės (Billari, 2009;Billari, Kohler, 2009;Kohler, 2010;Baranowska, Matysiak, 2011;Margolis, Myrskyla, 2011;Aassve, Goisis, Sironi, 2012;Balbo, Barban;Myrskyla, Margolis, 2014;Rizzi, Mikucka, 2015;Kohler, Mencarini, 2016). Esminiais institucinio konteksto veiksniais, kurie modeliuoja vaikų susilaukimo ir subjektyvios gerovės ryšį, yra įvardijami darbo ir šeimos vaidmenų derinimo konfliktas, kuris tiesiogiai susijęs su kintamais lyčių vaidmenų modeliais (Aassve, Mencarini, Sironi, 2015;Kohler, Mencarini, 2016;Luppi, 2016;Matysiak, Mencarini, Vignoli, 2016;Roeters, Mandemakers, Voorpostel, 2016).…”

“…basic) laimės lygis -laimingi asmenys susilaukia vaikų. Svarbus abiejų partnerių laimės lygis iki vaiko susilaukimo (Kohler, Myrskyla, Margolis, 2014;Aassve, Arpino, Balbo, 2016;Cetre, Clark, Senik, 2016;Luppi, 2016). Tačiau ryšys, kaip jau minėta, nėra vienodas -sprendimas susilaukti vaiko (dar vieno) gali reikšti norą (su)mažinti neužtikrintumą ir taip tapti laimingesniems.…”

“…Šios perspektyvos pagrindinė idėja -laimę ir vaikų susilaukimą sieja teigiamas ryšys. Vis daugiau Billari (2009) pasiūlytą teorinę perspektyvą empiriškai taikiusių mokslininkų ją papildo nauju dėmeniu: pabrėžiama, kad šiuolaikinėse išsivysčiusiose visuomenėse vaikų (ne)susilaukti yra pasirinkimas, nulemtas individo laimės lygio ir kintamų lyčių vaidmenų modelių (Aassve, Mencarini, Sironi, 2015;Kohler, Mencarini, 2016;Luppi 2016;Matysiak, Mencarini, Vignoli, 2016). Pripažįstama, kad kintami lyčių vaidmenų modeliai, laimė ir vaikų susilaukimas susiję su platesniu kontekstu -socialine ir šeimos politika, darbo rinkos lankstumu, institucijų prisitaikymu prie kintamų lyčių vaidmenų, susijusių su lyčių lygybe ir lyčių teisingumu (Aassve, Mencarini, Sironi, 2015;Kohler, Mencarini, 2016).…”

Parents’ subjective well-being after their first child and declining fertility expectations

“…Recent studies have suggested a significant decline in subjective well-being -measured either as happiness or as life satisfaction -following childbearing events (Clark et al 2008;Frijters, Johnston, and Shields 2011;Margolis and Myrskylä 2011;Myrskylä and Margolis 2014;Pollman-Schult 2014). Yet subjective well-being is positively linked to wanting and to having additional children (e.g., Perelli-Harris 2006;Parr 2010;Le Moglie, Mencarini, and Rapallini 2015;Luppi 2016). The birth of the first child therefore affects not only the parents' subjective well-being but also subsequent fertility.…”