New Research Debunks Common Myths about Women

Married Mothers Most Likely to Be ‘Very Happy,’ Study Says

A new study, which Brigham Young University’s Wheatley Institute and the Institute for Family Studies released this week, debunks common myths about women’s happiness.

The study – In Pursuit: Marriage, Motherhood, and Women’s Well-Being” – included 3,000 women ages 25 to 55 in the United States. Of the 3,000, 1,551 women have children under age 18.

The four co-authors – Jenet Erickson, a fellow at the Wheatley Institute; Jean Twenge, professor of psychology at San Diego State University; Wendy Wang, director of research for the Institute for Family Studies; and Brad Wilcox, a senior fellow with the Institute for Family Studies – recently commented on the findings.

According to one prevailing myth, women who are single and childless are happier than women who are married and have children. But the new study indicates the myth is untrue. In fact, the researchers found that married women with children tend to be happier. (See “The Data Is In: Moms Are Happier Than You “Moms Are Happier Than You Think” by Tori Carpenter on Patheos.)

“Marriage offers stability and support that eases motherhood while strengthening happiness, connection and meaning,” the researchers explained. Married mothers were more likely to say that “life feels enjoyable most or all of the time.”

The analyses were “controlled for age, family income and education,” and the final simple mirrored the general 25-55 female population, ages 25-55, in the U.S.

Key Findings

The researchers studied four areas: women’s happiness, the meaning and purpose in women’s lives, loneliness and physical touch. Their top findings were as follows:

• Happiness: Nearly twice as many married mothers said they are “very happy” compared to single women with no children. They also were more likely to report enjoying life most or all the time.
• Meaning and Purpose: Married mothers also were more likely than single women to say their lives are meaningful most or all the time.
• Loneliness: Married women were about half as likely to experience frequent bouts of loneliness as unmarried women.
• Physical Touch: Women who receive regular physical affection were three times more likely to say they are “very happy.”

Marriage, Motherhood & Well-being

In Pursuit: Marriage, Motherhood, and Women’s Well-Being” reported that “married women are more likely than other women to report feeling deep connection and meaning in their relationships and are less likely to report being lonely.”

The researchers found that marriage “was linked to greater happiness,” said Erickson. Why? One reason is that marriage brings less loneliness and more stability. “Just being married brings greater happiness,” she said – unless the marriage is abusive.

Nearly half of married mothers surveyed said their lives feel meaningful most or all the time, which compares to one-third of the time for single, childless women. And when asked whether their lives feel valuable and fulfilling, married mothers were more likely to say they strongly agree.

“At a time when marriage and fertility rates have reached record lows in the United States, our study challenges prominent cultural narratives by revealing that marriage and motherhood provide deep emotional and social benefits,” according to Twenge.

“Pop cultural portrayals, online forums and media headlines declaring single women without children are happier than married mothers are simply not true,” she pointed out.

Marriage & Social Connections

The study also found that married women are less likely to feel lonely than single women who have no children. “Notably, only 11 percent of married mothers and 9 percent of married women without children reported feeling lonely most or all the time,” researchers said.

(See Delisa Hargrove’s Patheos post here.)

“This is a stark difference compared to 23 percent of unmarried mothers and 20 percent of single, childless women who reported frequent loneliness. These findings counter preceding research that has suggested marriage leads to reduced social engagement and creates social isolation.

“In fact, marriage and motherhood appear to foster deeper social connection for many women, with married women reporting satisfaction with their friendships and involvement in community life comparable to or greater than other women.”

Marriage and motherhood may mean women have less time to see friends, but family life gives women opportunities for other social interests such as volunteer work, church attendance and activities, and community endeavors, said Erickson.

She noted that married mothers “are just as likely to say they feel satisfied with their number of friends as other women.”

The Importance of Touch

Researchers also focused on a topic not previously studied, according to Brad Wilcox. “This is the first study to focus on touch, family and women’s happiness,” he said. “We find that not only do married women report significantly higher levels of physical touch but also that their experience of physical affection seems to help explain why they are happier.”

Touching may matter more “in a world where we spend too much time in the virtual world,” he explained. Nearly half of married women in the study said they receive regular physical affection regardless of whether they have children. This finding compares to 13 percent of single women who have no children.

Physical touch is important because it reduces stress, increases emotional resilience and boosts overall happiness. In fact, women who engage in higher levels of physical touch were three times likelier to say they are “very happy.”

Complex & Hopeful Findings

“Our findings paint a complex yet hopeful picture of the benefits of marriage and motherhood in women’s lives,” noted Wendy Wang. “Our research makes it clear that married mothers are thriving in ways that challenge current stereotypes about family life.”

Jason Carroll, family initiative director at the Wheatley Institute, pointed out that marriage apparently helps lift burdens of motherhood while strengthening women’s lives.

He concluded that the new report’s findings “should invite our best efforts, both culturally and politically, to support and strengthen single mothers even as we also work to increase the likelihood and quality of marriages….”

“It is very clear that those who flourish the most are in a marriage,” Erickson said. “We have known for some time that marriage benefits men.”

And despite the challenges associated with family life for women – including more stress and less time for oneself – there is no question that marriage and motherhood are linked to greater female flourishing, she concluded.