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But what are the facts? Are marriage and motherhood really tickets to increased misery? The good news is that strong data tell us the opposite is true.
The General Social Survey, the academic gold standard in social science measurements, tells us that among women age 18 to 55 in the United States, 40 percent of those who are married and have children report being “very happy.” Only 25 percent of married childless women report being very happy, while just 22 percent of unmarried childless women do. Unmarried mothers? Only 17 percent report being “very happy.” And during the Covid pandemic, it was those married with kids who were most likely to report being very happy during that very trying time.
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This team reports “Consistent with previous surveys, our new survey finds that married mothers are happier than unmarried women or women without children.” In fact, they found, “Nearly twice as many married mothers say they are ‘very happy’ as unmarried women without children.” Their analysis controlled for confounding factors like age, family income, and education, “so these factors cannot be the reason for the differences.”
Forty-seven percent of married mothers report their “life is enjoyable most or all of the time.” Forty-three percent of married women without children indicated this was true. Only 40 percent of unmarried mothers and 34 percent of unmarried women without children said their life was highly enjoyable.
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They note that some past research has indicated that marriage is linked to greater social isolation, but these are not strong findings.
Twenge and her team report “married women are only about half as likely as unmarried women to often feel lonely …” Specifically, “our survey finds that married women are markedly less likely to feel lonely: 11 percent of married mothers and 9% of married women without children feel lonely most or all of the time, compared to 23% of unmarried mothers and 20% of unmarried childless women” [emphasis added].
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This research also notes that greater physical touch provided by a husband and children can boost overall happiness and contentment in life. They state, “In the WWS, married women (both with and without children) report significantly higher levels of touch than unmarried women” [emphasis added]. Fifty-one percent of married mothers received satisfying levels of physical affection while only 17 percent of unmarried childless women did. Fifty-eight percent of married mothers report “most days I get a hug and a kiss” while only 18 percent of spouseless and childless women indicate this is true.
Twenge’s team contends, “Thus, one factor that explains why married women are happier than their unmarried peers is that they have more regular opportunities for kissing, hugging, and snuggling.”
A final characteristic driving greater happiness in married moms is finding bigger meaning and purpose in life. WWS survey data shows married women with children are “most likely to report a clear purpose in life” believing that “what I do in life is valuable and worthwhile.” Thirty-three percent of married moms indicate this, while only 20 percen of unmarried childless women do. Add to this, the fact that 49 percen of married mothers say their “life feels meaningful all or most of the time” while only 32 percent of unmarried women without kids do.
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These are not life goals one runs directly toward. They are the fruit of giving our lives to others, namely a spouse and our children. These scholars conclude their report with this strong statement.
Contrary to the common narrative that women who marry and have children are unhappy, the 2025 Women’s Well-Being Survey finds that the opportunities for greater touch, less loneliness, and more meaning seem to provide married mothers the most joyful lives.
This conclusion is certainly worth celebrating and circulating to young women.
* Original Article:
https://thefederalist.com/2025/09/01/study-having-a-husband-and-kids-doubles-womens-likelihood-of-being-happy/