How a Mismatch Between Actual and Desired Fertility Relates to Well-Being Across Adulthood

Abstract

Introduction: Most people want two or more children, but many do not realize their fertility desires. At the same time, recent studies suggest that up to 15% of parents regret having children. To investigate how fertility mismatch relates to well-being (i.e., affect balance, life satisfaction, family life satisfaction, and work satisfaction), this preregistered study used nationally representative cross-sectional data of private households in Germany (N = 23,843 age range 18–100 years). Method: We applied multilevel modeling to investigate if individual characteristics and regional factors moderated the link between well-being and fertility (mis)match. Results: Involuntary childless people, people who were childfree by choice, parents who fell short of their fertility desires, and parents who met their fertility desires reported similar well-being. Only exceeding one's fertility desires was robustly linked to lower well-being, whereas falling short was only linked to lower well-being in adults past the fertile age. We found no evidence for moderation effects of regional-level religiosity, social norms, and childcare infrastructure. Conclusion: Researchers should consider both fertility outcomes and desires when studying well-being in the context of parenthood. Longitudinal research is needed to explore mechanisms such as goal striving, basic needs fulfillment, or social roles discrepancies that link fertility (mis)match to well-being.