Kinderloos en toch gelukkig? Over de gevolgen van kinderloosheid voor de ouderdom

Samenvatting

Older adults 'parental history is examined in relation to their marital and occupational histories in addressing the question of when and how childlessness matters. A set of late life outcomes (network size, income and life satisfaction) is examined. The data are from the 1992 NESTOR 'Living arrangements and social networks of older adults' survey (N = 4494). Using the perspective of the standard life course, the study shows that the consequences of childlessness are not uniform across all life domains: in some it has advantages, in others disadvantages. Findings also indicate that childlessness works out differently for men and women, and the way it does depends on their respective marital histories. Among men, the consequences of never having had children are negative for network size (particularly so if never-married), positive for income if never-married and negative if ever-married, and positive for life satisfaction (regardless of marital history). Among women, the consequences of never having had children are negative for network size (particularly so if never married), positive for income (particularly so if never-married) and lacking for life satisfaction. Finally, the results underscore the importance of drawing distinctions between those who never had and those who no longer have children. Women who have outlived their children are particularly likely to suffer negative outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]; Copyright of Mens en Maatschappij is the property of Amsterdam University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)