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The Parenthood and Happiness Link: Testing Predictions from Five Theories

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Abstract

This research studied the relationship between parenthood and life satisfaction in Switzerland. We tested predictions derived from set-point theory, the economic model of parenthood, the approaches that underscore work–family conflict and the psychological rewards from parenthood, and the ‘taste for children’ theory. We used Swiss Household Panel data (2000–2018) to analyse how life satisfaction changed during parenthood (fixed-effects regression) separately for a first child and a second child, mothers and fathers, and various socio-demographic groups. Our results showed that having a second child, which is common in Switzerland, correlates negatively with mothers’ life satisfaction. The observed patterns are consistent with the idea that mothers’ life satisfaction trajectories reflect work–family conflict. We found partial support for the set-point and the ‘taste for children’ theories. Our results did not support the approaches that emphasize the importance of psychological rewards from parenthood.

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Fig. 1

Source: Swiss Household Panel (SHP)

Fig. 2

Source: Swiss Household Panel (SHP)

Fig. 3

Source: Swiss Household Panel (SHP)

Fig. 4

Source: Swiss Household Panel (SHP)

Fig. 5

Source: Swiss Household Panel (SHP)

Fig. 6

Source: Swiss Household Panel (SHP)

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Notes

  1. It is possible that this difference in trajectories is driven by unintended pregnancies among women who have a second child sooner, but our data do not allow us to test this hypothesis.

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Funding

Funding was provided by Belgian French-speaking Community (BE) (Grant No. subvention 15/19-063).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Demographic Research Place Montesquieu, Université Catholique de Louvain, 1 bte L2.08.03, 1348, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

    Małgorzata Mikucka & Ester Rizzi

  2. MZES, Mannheim University, A5,6, 68159, Mannheim, Germany

    Małgorzata Mikucka

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  1. Małgorzata Mikucka
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  2. Ester Rizzi
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Correspondence to Małgorzata Mikucka.

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The original version of this article was revised: References to the special issue entitled “The Parenthood Happiness Puzzle”, published in 2016, have been added.

Ester Rizzi and Małgorzata Mikucka were supported by the ARC grant funded by the Belgian French-speaking Community within the project Family transformations - Incentives and Norms (subvention: 15/19–063). This study has been realized using the data collected by the Swiss Household Panel (SHP), which is based at the Swiss Centre of Expertise in the Social Sciences FORS. The project is financed by the Swiss National Science Foundation. We thank our colleagues of the Centre for Demographic research in Louvain-la-Neuve who participate to the internal seminar “Midi de la recherché”, Marieke Voorpostel and two anonymous reviewers of the FORS Working papers series for their useful comments.

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Mikucka, M., Rizzi, E. The Parenthood and Happiness Link: Testing Predictions from Five Theories. Eur J Population 36, 337–361 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10680-019-09532-1

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