IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/soinre/v114y2013i2p639-653.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Parenthood, Marital Status, and Well-Being in Later Life: Evidence from SHARE

Author

Listed:
  • Karsten Hank
  • Michael Wagner

Abstract

Using pooled cross-sectional data from the first two waves of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe, we address the question of whether and how parenthood and marital status are associated with various dimensions of elders’ well-being, which we define by elements of the individual’s economic situation, psychological well-being, and social connectedness. The results of our multivariate analysis suggest that childless individuals do not generally fare worse than parents in terms of their economic, psychological, or social well-being. Although there is some indication for a ‘protective effect’ of marriage, having a partner does not per se contribute to greater psychological well-being: only those reporting satisfaction with the extent of reciprocity in their relationship report lower numbers of depression symptoms than their unmarried counterparts. We observe no systematic associations between parenthood (marriage, respectively) and individuals’ propensity to participate in social activities. These findings are fairly stable, that is, they hold for both men and women as well as across various cohorts, and they do not vary systematically between countries. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2013

Suggested Citation

  • Karsten Hank & Michael Wagner, 2013. "Parenthood, Marital Status, and Well-Being in Later Life: Evidence from SHARE," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 114(2), pages 639-653, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:soinre:v:114:y:2013:i:2:p:639-653
    DOI: 10.1007/s11205-012-0166-x
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1007/s11205-012-0166-x
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11205-012-0166-x?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Zhenmei Zhang & Mark D. Hayward, 2001. "Childlessness and the Psychological Well-Being of Older Persons," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 56(5), pages 311-320.
    2. Lucia Coppola & Mariachiara Di Cesare, 2008. "How fertility and union stability interact in shaping new family patterns in Italy and Spain," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 18(4), pages 117-144.
    3. Richard W. Johnson & Melissa M. Favreault, 2004. "Economic Status in Later Life Among Women Who Raised Children Outside of Marriage," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 59(6), pages 315-323.
    4. Marcel Erlinghagen & Karsten Hank, 2005. "Participation of Older Europeans in Volunteer Work," MEA discussion paper series 05071, Munich Center for the Economics of Aging (MEA) at the Max Planck Institute for Social Law and Social Policy.
    5. Karsten Hank, 2010. "Childbearing History, Later Life Health, and Mortality in Germany," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 305, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
    6. Sandra Hofferth, 1984. "Long-term economic consequences for women of delayed childbearing and reduced family size," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 21(2), pages 141-155, May.
    7. Richard V. Burkhauser & Philip Giles & Dean R. Lillard & Johannes Schwarze, 2005. "Until Death Do Us Part: An Analysis of the Economic Well-Being of Widows in Four Countries," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 60(5), pages 238-246.
    8. Robert D. Plotnick, 2009. "Childlessness and the Economic Well-being of Older Americans," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 64(6), pages 767-776.
    9. Howard Litwin, 2010. "Social Networks and Well-being: A Comparison of Older People in Mediterranean and Non-Mediterranean Countries," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 65(5), pages 599-608.
    10. Susan L. Brown & Gary R. Lee & Jennifer Roebuck Bulanda, 2006. "Cohabitation Among Older Adults: A National Portrait," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 61(2), pages 71-79.
    11. Waldron, Ingrid & Hughes, Mary Elizabeth & Brooks, Tracy L., 1996. "Marriage protection and marriage selection--Prospective evidence for reciprocal effects of marital status and health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 43(1), pages 113-123, July.
    12. Thomas Hansen & Britt Slagsvold & Torbjørn Moum, 2009. "Childlessness and Psychological Well-Being in Midlife and Old Age: An Examination of Parental Status Effects Across a Range of Outcomes," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 94(2), pages 343-362, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Bruno Arpino & Jordi Gumà & Albert JuliÃ, 2021. "Deviations From Standard Family Histories and Subjective Wellbeing at Older Ages," Econometrics Working Papers Archive 2021_16, Universita' degli Studi di Firenze, Dipartimento di Statistica, Informatica, Applicazioni "G. Parenti".
    2. Aurea Grané & Irene Albarrán & Qi Guo, 2021. "Visualizing Health and Well-Being Inequalities Among Older Europeans," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 155(2), pages 479-503, June.
    3. Pachara Pimpawatin & Nopphol Witvorapong, 2023. "Direct and Indirect Effects of Parenthood on Later-Life Happiness: Evidence from Older Adults in Thailand," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 44(2), pages 249-266, June.
    4. Anna Baranowska-Rataj & Anita Abramowska-Kmon, 2019. "Number of children and social contacts among older people: the moderating role of filial norms and social policies," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 16(1), pages 95-107, March.
    5. Christoph Becker & Isadora Kirchmaier & Stefan T Trautmann, 2019. "Marriage, parenthood and social network: Subjective well-being and mental health in old age," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(7), pages 1-20, July.
    6. Katherine Keenan & Emily Grundy, 2019. "Fertility History and Physical and Mental Health Changes in European Older Adults," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 35(3), pages 459-485, July.
    7. Aassve, Arnstein & Luppi, Francesca & Pronzato, Chiara & Pudney, Steve, 2020. "Lifetime events and the well-being of older people," Department of Economics and Statistics Cognetti de Martiis. Working Papers 202001, University of Turin.
    8. Michael L. Goodman & Derrick C. Gibson & Philip H. Keiser & Stanley Gitari & Lauren Raimer-Goodman, 2019. "Family, Belonging and Meaning in Life Among Semi-rural Kenyans," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 20(5), pages 1627-1645, June.
    9. Tosi, Marco & van den Broek, Thijs, 2020. "Gray divorce and mental health in the United Kingdom," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 256(C).
    10. Gerrit Bauer & Martina Brandt & Thorsten Kneip, 2023. "The Role of Parenthood for Life Satisfaction of Older Women and Men in Europe," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 24(1), pages 275-307, January.
    11. Junji Kageyama & Tsukasa Matsuura, 2018. "The Financial Burden of Having Children and Fertility Differentials Across Development and Life Stages: Evidence from Satisfaction Data," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 19(1), pages 1-26, January.
    12. Petra Rattay & Elena von der Lippe, 2020. "Association between Living with Children and the Health and Health Behavior of Women and Men. Are There Differences by Age? Results of the “German Health Update” (GEDA) Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(9), pages 1-19, May.
    13. Katya Ivanova, 2020. "My Children, Your Children, Our Children, and My Well-Being: Life Satisfaction of “Empty Nest” Biological Parents and Stepparents," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 21(2), pages 613-633, February.
    14. Sarah Gibney & Liam Delaney & Mary Codd & Tony Fahey, 2017. "Lifetime Childlessness, Depressive Mood and Quality of Life Among Older Europeans," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 130(1), pages 305-323, January.
    15. Hamermesh, Daniel S., 2020. "Moms' Time - Married or Not," IZA Discussion Papers 13997, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    16. Enrique Alonso-Perez & Paul Gellert & Michaela Kreyenfeld & Julie Lorraine O’Sullivan, 2022. "Family Structure and Family Climate in Relation to Health and Socioeconomic Status for Older Adults: A Longitudinal Moderated Mediation Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(18), pages 1-17, September.
    17. Ansgar Hudde & Henriette Engelhardt, 2023. "Family inequality: On the changing educational gradient of family patterns in Western Germany," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 48(20), pages 549-590.
    18. Matthias Pollmann-Schult, 2018. "Parenthood and Life Satisfaction in Europe: The Role of Family Policies and Working Time Flexibility," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 34(3), pages 387-411, August.
    19. Franz Stephan Neuberger & Klaus Preisner, 2018. "Parenthood and Quality of Life in Old Age: The Role of Individual Resources, the Welfare State and the Economy," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 138(1), pages 353-372, July.
    20. Thijs van den Broek & Marco Tosi, 2020. "The More the Merrier? The Causal Effect of High Fertility on Later-Life Loneliness in Eastern Europe," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 149(2), pages 733-748, June.
    21. Thomas Leopold & Matthijs Kalmijn, 2016. "Is Divorce More Painful When Couples Have Children? Evidence From Long-Term Panel Data on Multiple Domains of Well-being," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 53(6), pages 1717-1742, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Petra Rattay & Elena von der Lippe, 2020. "Association between Living with Children and the Health and Health Behavior of Women and Men. Are There Differences by Age? Results of the “German Health Update” (GEDA) Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(9), pages 1-19, May.
    2. Shuai Chen & Jan C. Ours, 2018. "Subjective Well-being and Partnership Dynamics: Are Same-Sex Relationships Different?," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 55(6), pages 2299-2320, December.
    3. Bruno Arpino & Jordi Gumà & Albert JuliÃ, 2021. "Deviations From Standard Family Histories and Subjective Wellbeing at Older Ages," Econometrics Working Papers Archive 2021_16, Universita' degli Studi di Firenze, Dipartimento di Statistica, Informatica, Applicazioni "G. Parenti".
    4. Brienna Perelli-Harris & Stefanie Hoherz & Fenaba Addo & Trude Lappegård & Ann Evans & Sharon Sassler & Marta Styrc, 2018. "Do Marriage and Cohabitation Provide Benefits to Health in Mid-Life? The Role of Childhood Selection Mechanisms and Partnership Characteristics Across Countries," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 37(5), pages 703-728, October.
    5. Thomas Hansen, 2012. "Parenthood and Happiness: a Review of Folk Theories Versus Empirical Evidence," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 108(1), pages 29-64, August.
    6. Sarah Gibney & Liam Delaney & Mary Codd & Tony Fahey, 2017. "Lifetime Childlessness, Depressive Mood and Quality of Life Among Older Europeans," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 130(1), pages 305-323, January.
    7. Lilach Lurie & Haya Stier, 2022. "Marital Status and Gender Inequality in Household Income Among Older Adults in Israel: Changes Over time," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 159(2), pages 801-820, January.
    8. Christoph Becker & Isadora Kirchmaier & Stefan T Trautmann, 2019. "Marriage, parenthood and social network: Subjective well-being and mental health in old age," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(7), pages 1-20, July.
    9. Kilpi, Fanny & Konttinen, Hanna & Silventoinen, Karri & Martikainen, Pekka, 2015. "Living arrangements as determinants of myocardial infarction incidence and survival: A prospective register study of over 300,000 Finnish men and women," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 93-100.
    10. Dolores Pushkar & Dorothea Bye & Michael Conway & Carsten Wrosch & June Chaikelson & Jamshid Etezadi & Constantina Giannopoulos & Karen Li & Nassim Tabri, 2014. "Does Child Gender Predict Older Parents’ Well-Being?," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 118(1), pages 285-303, August.
    11. Franz Stephan Neuberger & Klaus Preisner, 2018. "Parenthood and Quality of Life in Old Age: The Role of Individual Resources, the Welfare State and the Economy," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 138(1), pages 353-372, July.
    12. David Reher & Miguel Requena, 2017. "Elderly women living alone in Spain: the importance of having children," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 14(3), pages 311-322, September.
    13. Thijs van den Broek & Marco Tosi, 2020. "The More the Merrier? The Causal Effect of High Fertility on Later-Life Loneliness in Eastern Europe," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 149(2), pages 733-748, June.
    14. Cwikel, Julie & Gramotnev, Helen & Lee, Christina, 2006. "Never-married childless women in Australia: Health and social circumstances in older age," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 62(8), pages 1991-2001, April.
    15. Chen, Shuai, 2019. "Marriage, minorities, and mass movements," Other publications TiSEM 9cb1b11d-12e6-46a8-adca-4, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    16. G. Miller & Yuriy Pylypchuk, 2014. "Marital Status, Spousal Characteristics, and the Use of Preventive Care," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 35(3), pages 323-338, September.
    17. Mercedes Aranda & Salvatore Zappalà & Gabriela Topa, 2019. "Motivations for Volunteerism, Satisfaction, and Emotional Exhaustion: The Moderating Effect of Volunteers’ Age," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(16), pages 1-16, August.
    18. Sirois, Catherine, 2020. "The strain of sons' incarceration on mothers’ health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 264(C).
    19. Léa Cimelli, 2023. "Are the widowed too much insured? Survivor’s pensions and living standards upon widowhood in France," Working Papers 279, French Institute for Demographic Studies.
    20. Tatiana Karabchuk, 2016. "The subjective well-being of women in Europe: children, work and employment protection legislation," Mind & Society: Cognitive Studies in Economics and Social Sciences, Springer;Fondazione Rosselli, vol. 15(2), pages 219-245, November.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:soinre:v:114:y:2013:i:2:p:639-653. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.