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. 2021 Jul 11;18(14):7408.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph18147408.

Subjective Well-Being and Parenthood in Chile

Consuelo Novoa  1 , Claudio Bustos  1 , Vasily Bühring  1 , Karen Oliva  1 , Darío Páez  2   3 , Pablo Vergara-Barra  4 , Félix Cova  1
Affiliations

Subjective Well-Being and Parenthood in Chile

Consuelo Novoa et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Being a parent plays an important role in people's life trajectory and identity. Though the general cultural perception is that having children is a source of subjective well-being, there is evidence that, at least in some societies, the subjective well-being of those who are parents is worse, in some aspects, than that of those who are not. This gap has been the object of interest and controversy. The aim of this study was to compare Chilean adults with and without children in a broad set of well-being indicators, controlling for other sociodemographic variables. A public national probabilistic database was used. The results show that, in terms of positive and negative affect, those who are not parents achieve greater well-being than those who have children. Other results also pointed in that direction. The implications of the social context and gender, which are aspects that pose a burden for the exercise of parenthood in Chile, are discussed.

Keywords: children; fatherhood; happiness; motherhood; parenting.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The Chilean National Agency for Research and Development had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Moderation effect of age on the ladder of the best possible life in people with and without children.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Moderation effect of socioeconomic status on the ladder of the best possible life in people with and without children.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Moderation effect of age on free time in people with and without children.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Moderation effect of socioeconomic status on free time in people with and without children.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Moderation effect of age on the freedom to set life goals in people with and without children.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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