Overview

• A cross-national study of over 43,000 adults finds parents report lower life satisfaction but a stronger sense of life meaning compared to childless adults.
• The negative satisfaction gap is most pronounced among disadvantaged women, including single mothers, younger parents, and those with lower education levels or limited childcare access.
• Scandinavian countries show higher satisfaction and meaning among parents, attributed to robust family policies like extensive childcare and gender-equal parental leave.
• Germany, once lauded for its family policy reforms in the late 2000s, has seen stagnation, prompting calls for renewed efforts to support parents.
• The findings, published in the Journal of Marriage and Family, underscore shifting societal values toward seeking meaning and purpose alongside personal happiness.