The Well-Being Implications of Having Children: Evidence From Chinese National Surveys

Abstract

A series of analyses were conducted on eight waves of Chinese national surveys (total N = 85,091) comparing parents’ and non-parents’ happiness and depression. Main findings include (a) Fathers reported higher happiness than men without children, yet mothers were less happy than childless women. Compared to men, parenthood was associated with higher depression among women, (b) Happiness declined, while depression increased with age among non-parents, and the association between age and depression was highest among childless men, and (c) the positive association between subjective SES and happiness was smaller among childless women than among the other groups. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Keywords

parenthood well-being gender differences age differences subjective SES

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