Abstract
The vast majority of studies looking into the relationship between childbearing and subjective well-being use overall measures where respondents either report their general level of happiness or their life satisfaction, leaving substantial doubt about the underlying mechanisms. However, life satisfaction and happiness are intuitively multidimensional concepts, simply because there cannot be only one aspect that affects individuals' well-being. In this study, by considering seventeen specific life satisfaction domains, these features come out very clearly. Whereas all the domains considered matter for the overall life satisfaction, only three of them, namely satisfaction with leisure, health and satisfaction with the partnership, change dramatically surrounding childbearing events. Even though we cannot generalise (since these results stem from one particular panel survey, i.e., Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia data), it appears that the typical anticipation and post-child decrease of life satisfaction, so often found in existing studies, stems from changes in these three domains.
Highlights
With value change and modernisation (Inglehart, 1977, 1989), all Western countries experienced a sustained fertility decline (Billari & Kohler, 2004; Morgan, 2003)
Studies have focussed on establishing the relationship between childbearing events and self-reported well-being, with the idea that satisfaction may decline with the onset of children (Aassve et al, 2012, 2015; Clark et al, 2008; Frijters et al, 2011; Le Moglie et al, 2015; Margolis & Myrskylä, 2011; Matysiak et al, 2016; Myrskylä & Margolis, 2014; Pollmann-Schult, 2014)
As policy makers are concerned about declining fertility levels, it is a pertinent need to understand which domains matter more for the satisfaction surrounding childbearing events
Summary
With value change and modernisation (Inglehart, 1977, 1989), all Western countries experienced a sustained fertility decline (Billari & Kohler, 2004; Morgan, 2003). Studies have focussed on establishing the relationship between childbearing events and self-reported well-being, with the idea that satisfaction may decline with the onset of children (Aassve et al, 2012, 2015; Clark et al, 2008; Frijters et al, 2011; Le Moglie et al, 2015; Margolis & Myrskylä, 2011; Matysiak et al, 2016; Myrskylä & Margolis, 2014; Pollmann-Schult, 2014) The majority of these studies use a general measure of individuals’ reported happiness or overall life satisfaction. Independent of the measure used, it tends to increase prior to the actual childbearing event itself, a feature typically referred to as an anticipation effect It is followed by a significant decline, especially during the first year of life of the child—a pattern that is again rather robust across Western countries where panel surveys are available. The SWB trajectory surrounding the second child is less pronounced and more heterogeneous across samples
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