The happiness of housewives: a review of research

Shoirakhon Nurdinova and Ruut Veenhoven

International Journal of Happiness and Development, 2026, vol. 10, issue 2, 117-139

Abstract: The happiness of housewives is a central issue in debates about women's emancipation. Feminists argue that full-time housewives are unhappy, while opponents contend that housewives are happier than working women, especially working mothers. Many women also question whether they would be happier as a full-time housewife or by working outside the home. Method: We review empirical research on this topic from the World Database of Happiness, which lists 49 scientific publications addressing the subject of 'housewife'. Most of these studies use acceptable measures of happiness, yielding a total of 88 research findings. Results: Cross-sectional studies indicate that housewives are generally less happy than working women, but happier than other groups such as the self-employed, unemployed, and retired individuals in the same country. These differences vary considerably across time, place, and occupation. Longitudinal studies suggest that housewives are happier than working women over time.

Keywords: happiness; research synthesis; housewife; working mother; review; quality of life; feminist economics; happiness studies. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ids:ijhdev:v:10:y:2026:i:2:p:117-139

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