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This is my first post. I thought you all might appreciate this.
Children aren't key to women's happiness-study

Last Updated: 2007-05-08 13:34:19 -0400 (Reuters Health)

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - Although they won't receive flowers or candy on Mother's Day, women who have not had children seem to be just as happy in their 50s as those who did go down the family path.

In fact the loneliest, least contented and most vulnerable women were found to be mothers who were single, divorced or widowed in middle age, according to new research.

Being healthy and having a partner gave a bigger boost to women's happiness and well-being than being mothers, with education, work and relationships with family and friends also important factors.

"Among this group of women in their 50s the childless women are very similar to the moms in terms of their psychological well-being," said Tanya Koropeckyj-Cox, a sociology professor at the University of Florida and the lead author of the study.

"That is striking given that these would have been the mothers of the baby boom, so even among that group it doesn't seem to make a big difference," she added in an interview.

The findings are based on two surveys of nearly 6,000 women aged between 51 to 61 years old that were conducted in 1992 and from 1987-1988.

"Whether you are socially integrated or have concerns about paying the bills -- those things play a more direct role in shaping psychological well-being among women in midlife," Koropeckyj-Cox added.

The research, which will be published in the International Journal of Aging and Human Development, showed that the timing of motherhood was also important to happiness.

Women who had children in their teens were more depressed and lonelier than those who had their children later.

"We confirm that early mothering seems to represent the greatest disadvantage and that is mainly linked to the economics and marital status," Koropeckyj-Cox explained.

About 35 percent of mothers who had children in their teens reported ever feeling lonely, compared to slightly more than a quarter of women who had children in their 20s.

Mothers who delayed childbirth to 25 or older were happier and less lonely or depressed than younger mothers.

Women questioned for the study would have been having children in the 1950s and 1960s when being 25 years or older was considered late. The median age for marrying at the time was about 20, according to the researchers.

"If these differences were going to matter, it would matter most among this group. A lot of literature on the baby boom era talks about just how much pressure there was on women to have children and to live domestic lives," said Koropeckyj-Cox.

Very interesting. I am not surprised.

I'm not surprised either. Personally, I think that women without children will have less stress, and more time & money to persue other things they enjoy... those things would imply an increased level of happiness to me.

Welcome Egratz! Great first post. It's really good to read that.

One thing I've noticed since I was a kid is that, in general, women who don't have kids look younger (sans makeup) than those who do.

Julie

AMEN to that. They certainly aren't the key to mine.

I wish they would have interviewed me, or some of us. Now that would be interesting.

Yes people without children really do look younger than those who do. It makes sense dosent it? I mean the stress of being a parent esspecially a mother would take a huge toll on the body.

Happiness can never come from another person it can only come from within

So true. I always noticed growing up that all of my Mom's friends (Mom's themselves) were overweight.

Studies have shown that parents on average are bigger than nonparents. And that makes sense, too. People eat when they get stressed out, or bored.

If I was stuck in the house with kids all day long, I would probably eat, too. I have been laid off at different points, and I learned I can never stay at home for very long. I need to get out of the house, and to do something with my head. It helps you stay sane.

I was just thinking about post partum depression. That's certainly a problem we don't have to contend with. That must skew the statistics somehow. I wonder how that compares statistically with depression in people who don't have children. Obviously the ones who want children and can't have them feel depressed. Is that a labeled diagnosis? Non-partum depression? But then someone could adopt if they were that into it, but you can't get out of parenting if it depresses you.

I read about a study recently that found out that a big factor in PPD is lack of sleep. I can understand that!! I wonder how much of PPD has to do with that, versus hormonal changes, versus just the realization of how hard it is to be a parent.

Children aren't key to women's happiness ...

Really? Imagine that. What a novel idea. :-)