Does Lone Motherhood Decrease Women’s Happiness? Evidence from Qualitative and Quantitative Research

Anna Baranowska-Rataj (), Anna Matysiak and Monika Mynarska

Journal of Happiness Studies, 2014, vol. 15, issue 6, 1457-1477

Abstract: This paper contributes to the discussion on the effects of single motherhood on happiness. We use a mixed-method approach. First, based on in-depth interviews with mothers who gave birth while single, we explore mechanisms through which children may influence mothers’ happiness. In a second step, we analyze panel survey data to quantify this influence. Our results leave no doubt that, while raising a child outside of marriage poses many challenges, parenthood has some positive influence on a lone mother’s life. Our qualitative evidence shows that children are a central point in an unmarried woman’s life, and that many life decisions are taken with consideration of the child’s welfare, including escaping from pathological relationships. Our quantitative evidence shows that, although the general level of happiness among unmarried women is lower than among their married counterparts, raising a child does not have a negative impact on their happiness. Copyright The Author(s) 2014

Keywords: Nonmarital childbearing; Single motherhood; Happiness; Well-being; Methodological triangulation; Mixed methods (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
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DOI: 10.1007/s10902-013-9486-z

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