The effects of happiness on further childbearing plans among college educated mothers with one child

Abstract

Current demographic research increasingly emphasizes the role of psychological and subjective factors in childbearing decisions. Life satisfaction is one of those factors that could possibly play a role in family planning throughout the reproductive span. Given that transition to parenthood often leads to changes in subjective well-being, life satisfaction and happiness, better understanding of the connection between happiness and childbearing plans could provide valuable insight into the way early parenthood experience shapes subsequent reproductive decisions. In 2015 we conducted an online survey of 2,239 participants which covered various facets of parenting, including happiness, meaning and life satisfaction in several life domains. This report is based on the subsample of 720 mothers of one child with at least a bachelor?s degree and focuses on the relationship between their perception of happiness and meaningfulness and their plans to have a child in the next three years. The results show that subjective perceptions of happiness and meaningfulness are positively associated with intention to have a child in the subsequent period. Furthermore, the positive relationship between happiness/meaningfulness and childbearing intentions remains when mother?s age and financial situation are taken into account. A possible connection between subjective measures of well-being and childbearing decisions uncovered in this study could provide directions for further research and eventually have policy implications.