Children are really a huge enrichment in life. However, the stressful daily life and the double loads can neatly gnaw at their own satisfaction. There is another way – the Scandinavian countries show how.
“Those who have children do not live automatically, sometimes even more dissatisfied – but he or she often has the feeling that his own life is useful and valuable”, the result of a representative study in 30 countries is published in the “Journal of Marriage and Family”.
The fact that parents are more dissatisfied than childless applies on average more to women than for men. And since again especially for women who are a single parent or are still very young, do not have higher educational qualifications or live in a country with a poor offer for childcare. “You can generally say: where parenthood is particularly challenging, this is at the expense of satisfaction,” explains Mitautor Ansgar Hudde of the University of Cologne.
Life with children is experienced as valuable
The relationship between parenthood and meaning in life, on the other hand, is comparable to social -economic groups and national contexts: on average, those who have children find their lives more sensible and more valuable.
The analysis, in which the Cologne sociologist Marita Jacob was also involved, is based on data from more than 43,000 participants who were requested as part of the European Social Survey. Two central components of Putten in adults with and without children were investigated: Life satisfaction and meaning in life.
Scandinavian parents have better
The researchers find striking: in Scandinavian countries, children not only mean more meaning for parents, but also more satisfaction. Huddes explanation for this: “The Scandinavian countries are generally free child -friends. Many people appreciate children and there is a very good care for childcare. We have also hired something as the parental compensation of Sweden, for example.”
The Scandinavian governments have long tried to alleviate parents both financially and in terms of time, and always with a prospect of equality. “Apparently that bears fruit.”
Moreover, a changed mentality is shown – it’s just not just about having fun in life. “People not only want to have fun, they also want their lives to be logical. They contribute to something bigger that points them out – and many find that in parenting.”
Source: Krone
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