The Joys of Parenthood, Reconsidered

Abstract

Sociologists find that as a group, parents in the United States experience depression and emotional distress more often than their childless adult counterparts. Parents of young children report far more depression, distress, and other negative emotions than non-parents, and parents of grown children have no better well-being than adults who never had children. These findings fly in the face of cultural dogma that proclaims the inherent joys of parenting and raises questions about the social conditions that make it difficult for parents to reap the emotional benefits of having children.