Happy Mothers

May 10, 2007

Millions of moms get flowers from their grown-up kids on Mother’s Day, but a study by University of Florida sociologist Tanya Koropeckyj-Cox shows being a mom doesn’t guarantee a woman happiness later in life.

Koropeckyj-Cox: “The empty nests tend to look a lot like a childless couple, so there isn’t much difference in that sense. Where we do find the big differences are among those who had been married but find themselves widowed or divorced in mid-life. That plays a much more important role for men and women as they hit the older ages.”

Results show women who had children aren’t any happier as they get older than women who never had kids. Childless women reported about the same satisfaction as moms who had kids back in their twenties. Women who had kids earlier than that were the most likely to be single and report unhappiness.

Koropeckyj-Cox: “For those who waited, that time in between is often spent continuing on in school and getting careers started. So their own opportunities and the opportunities for marriage are quite different.”

And results show that companionship and good health later in life may matter even more than motherhood.

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