Parenhood and Happiness

Soc Indic Res (2012) 108:29–64
DOI 10.1007/s11205-011-9865-y

Parenthood and Happiness: a Review of Folk Theories
Versus Empirical Evidence
Thomas Hansen

Accepted: 9 May 2011 / Published online: 26 May 2011
Ó Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2011

Abstract This paper reviews and compares folk theories and empirical evidence about the influence of parenthood on happiness and life satisfaction. The review of attitudes toward parenthood and childlessness reveals that people tend to believe that parenthood is central to a meaningful and fulfilling life, and that the lives of childless people are emptier, less rewarding, and lonelier, than the lives of parents. Most cross-sectional and longitudinal evidence suggest, however, that people are better off without having children. It is mainly children living at home that interfere with well-being, particularly among women, singles, lower socioeconomic strata, and people residing in less pronatalist societies—especially when these characteristics are combined. The discrepancy between beliefs and findings is discussed in relation to the various costs of parenting; the advantages of childlessness; adaptation and compensation among involuntarily childless persons; cognitive biases; and the possibility that parenthood confers rewards in terms of meaning rather than happiness.
Keywords Life satisfaction Á Happiness Á Children Á Parenthood Á Parental status Á
Childlessness Á Literature review

1 Introduction
This paper reviews and compares folk theories and empirical evidence about the role of children as a source of global or subjective well-being.1 By folk theory is meant common lay beliefs about something, based upon known facts, hear-say, or personal experiences.
The review focuses on the two most commonly measured aspects or indicators of global well-being in the literature, namely happiness and life satisfaction. The paper thus contrasts lay beliefs about how the presence of offspring affects

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