Parents are not happier or more satisfied with life than childless individuals, but they do experience a greater sense of meaning in life. This finding was especially pronounced among women with low socioeconomic status.

The research by the University of Cologne, conducted by Dr Ansgar Hudde and Prof Dr Marita Jacob, examined two central components of well-being in adults with and without children.

The researchers gathered data from over 43,000 participants in 30 countries, asking them how satisfied they were with their lives as a whole nowadays, all things considered, and whether they generally felt what they did with their lives to be valuable and worthwhile. The study also revealed that the relationship between parenthood and life satisfaction varies depending on social circumstances.

Women with low socio-economic status, who have children, are less satisfied than those without children in the same social situation. For women with higher socio-economic status and men as a whole, however, the differences between those with and without children are less. However, all of these groups experience higher meaning when they have children.

“At the end of the 2000s, many international observers marvelled at how much family policy had advanced, with the expansion of day-care centres and parental allowance based on the Scandinavian model. However, there is little sign of this momentum today. Today, too, new initiatives are needed to ease time pressure on families and provide them with financial support,” says Dr Hudde.

The researchers say the results show that good societal conditions can make both meaning and satisfaction possible for those with or without children.