"Several years ago, my then-girlfriend (now wife) and I traveled to upstate New York to meet some of my graduate-school friends who'd had their first baby six months earlier. At the time, we were undecided on whether we wanted kids of our own. That weekend we watched my friends parent their baby together like a well-oiled machine, discussing his needs and shuffling around the house to meet them while the four of us laughed and caught up."
"Researchers found that when controlling for education, income, and age, almost twice as many married mothers consider themselves "very happy" (19 percent) compared with unmarried women without children who are in otherwise similar life situations. (Rates of "very happy" are 10 percent for unmarried women without children, 11 percent for married women without children, and 13 percent for unmarried women with children.)"
A personal recollection describes observing a graduate-school couple parenting their six-month-old with coordinated care and joy. A study from Brigham Young University's Wheatley Institute and the Institute for Family Studies found that, after controlling for education, income, and age, 19 percent of married mothers report being "very happy," nearly double the rate for comparable unmarried women without children. The 2022 General Social Survey by NORC at the University of Chicago produced similar results, showing a happiness advantage among married people, including married mothers. The narrator also reflects on present family happiness with a spouse and toddler.
Read at Slate Magazine
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