Trends in the Parenthood Gap in Health and Well-Being among U.S. Women from 1996 to 2018
The notion that U.S. mothers with minor children are less happy and more depressed than nonmothers largely relies on data collected in the 1990s or earlier. Although the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic brought much attention to the stressfulness of parenting, we lack knowledge of how mothers fared...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
SAGE Publishing
2023-01-01
|
| Series: | Socius |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/23780231221145067 |
| _version_ | 1797956803286269952 |
|---|---|
| author | Kei Nomaguchi Melissa A. Milkie |
| author_facet | Kei Nomaguchi Melissa A. Milkie |
| author_sort | Kei Nomaguchi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The notion that U.S. mothers with minor children are less happy and more depressed than nonmothers largely relies on data collected in the 1990s or earlier. Although the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic brought much attention to the stressfulness of parenting, we lack knowledge of how mothers fared relative to nonmothers in the 2000s and 2010s, before the pandemic. The authors investigate trends in the parenthood gap in happiness, depression, and self-rated health among women aged 18 to 59 years, using the 1996 to 2018 General Social Survey ( n = 13,254) and the 1997 to 2018 National Health Interview Survey ( n = 263,110). Results indicate that twenty-first-century mothers with younger children were better off than nonmothers on two measures, reporting less depression and better health. Mothers’ “depression advantage” grew across this time. However, mothers with older children reported less happiness than nonmothers, a continued trend from the 1990s. The study underscores the importance of examining various well-being indicators across the changing contexts of parenting. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T23:55:35Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-60dc0ded27e240148c383a1a6feb2947 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2378-0231 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T23:55:35Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Socius |
| spelling | doaj.art-60dc0ded27e240148c383a1a6feb29472023-01-10T14:03:49ZengSAGE PublishingSocius2378-02312023-01-01910.1177/23780231221145067Trends in the Parenthood Gap in Health and Well-Being among U.S. Women from 1996 to 2018Kei Nomaguchi0Melissa A. Milkie1Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH, USAUniversity of Toronto, Toronto, ON, CanadaThe notion that U.S. mothers with minor children are less happy and more depressed than nonmothers largely relies on data collected in the 1990s or earlier. Although the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic brought much attention to the stressfulness of parenting, we lack knowledge of how mothers fared relative to nonmothers in the 2000s and 2010s, before the pandemic. The authors investigate trends in the parenthood gap in happiness, depression, and self-rated health among women aged 18 to 59 years, using the 1996 to 2018 General Social Survey ( n = 13,254) and the 1997 to 2018 National Health Interview Survey ( n = 263,110). Results indicate that twenty-first-century mothers with younger children were better off than nonmothers on two measures, reporting less depression and better health. Mothers’ “depression advantage” grew across this time. However, mothers with older children reported less happiness than nonmothers, a continued trend from the 1990s. The study underscores the importance of examining various well-being indicators across the changing contexts of parenting.https://doi.org/10.1177/23780231221145067 |
| spellingShingle | Kei Nomaguchi Melissa A. Milkie Trends in the Parenthood Gap in Health and Well-Being among U.S. Women from 1996 to 2018 Socius |
| title | Trends in the Parenthood Gap in Health and Well-Being among U.S. Women from 1996 to 2018 |
| title_full | Trends in the Parenthood Gap in Health and Well-Being among U.S. Women from 1996 to 2018 |
| title_fullStr | Trends in the Parenthood Gap in Health and Well-Being among U.S. Women from 1996 to 2018 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Trends in the Parenthood Gap in Health and Well-Being among U.S. Women from 1996 to 2018 |
| title_short | Trends in the Parenthood Gap in Health and Well-Being among U.S. Women from 1996 to 2018 |
| title_sort | trends in the parenthood gap in health and well being among u s women from 1996 to 2018 |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/23780231221145067 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT keinomaguchi trendsintheparenthoodgapinhealthandwellbeingamonguswomenfrom1996to2018 AT melissaamilkie trendsintheparenthoodgapinhealthandwellbeingamonguswomenfrom1996to2018 |