Having a child has a negative impact on the lives of both parents, according to a new study. On a scale that includes divorce, death and insolvency, having a child, remarkably, ranks in the top spot. The research outcome was:
30 percent of couple felt the same or happier following the birth of their child,
70 percent felt less happy or dissatisfied in some way.
There was little difference between men and women
So, those are the results. How accurate are the results? Let’s look at how the research was put together.
Many people will find the research surprising. The first thing to note about the study is that the sample size was relatively small – just over 2,000 people. The second thing is that the survey relates to parents in Germany only, and here there will be certain socio-cultural factors at play. The third thing is that the research did not assess the qualitative feelings of the parents (that is how they feel at a given point in time.) Instead, couples were asked to rate their happiness on a scale that ran from 0 (completely dissatisfied) to 10 (completely satisfied) when they were asked the question, “How satisfied are you with your life, all things considered?” This type of narrow question does not allow the respondents to elaborate on their answer.
Other things that might influence the universality of the study include the fact the research is only concerned with the first child. Should couple have more than one child, then the results may well be different. Another point is that the study extends for the first two years with each set of parents following birth; reaction may well have been different in the child’s third year.
In terms of ‘what was the point of the research?’, the survey was conducted in light of the very low birth rate in Germany. The researchers were keen to find out why so few German couples are having a second child.
The research was led by two academics – Rachel Margolis (University of Western Ontario) and Mikko Myrskyla (Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research.) The findings have been published in the journal Demography. The paper is titled “Happiness: Before and After the Kids.”
