Happy People Have Children: Choice and Self-Selection into Parenthood
Journal article: There is mixed evidence in the existing literature on whether children are associated with greater subjective well-being, with the correlation depending on which countries and populations are considered. We here provide a systematic analysis of this question based on three different datasets: two cross-national and one national panel. We show that the association between children and subjective well-being is positive only in developed countries, and for those who become parents after the age of 30 and who have higher income. We also provide evidence of a positive selection into parenthood, whereby happier individuals are more likely to have children.
Author(s)
Sophie Cetre, Andrew E. Clark, Claudia Senik
Journal
- European Journal of Population
Date of publication
- 2016
Keywords
- Happiness
- Fertility
- Children
- Income
- Selection
Pages
- 445 – 473
URL of the HAL notice
Version
- 1
Volume
- 32