Marriage and fertility rates have reached all-time lows in the U.S. in recent years, as fewer people marry or have children. These trends are likely to continue in the future. In 2023, only 72% of 18-year-old women in the U.S. said they were likely to have children, down from 85% in the late 2000s.1
Though there are likely many reasons for the declines in marriage and childbearing, one possible factor is the way marriage and parenthood, particularly for women, are portrayed in the media and in online discussions. Popular press articles often declare that single women without children are happier than married mothers, with headlines such as: “Women are happier without children or a spouse, says happiness expert,” or “4 reasons why single women are the happiest people on Earth—by a psychologist,” and “Why so many single women without children are happy.” Discussions on online forums such as Reddit ask, “Why do you think that single unmarried women without children are happier than married women with children?”
These headlines are consistent with older survey data suggesting parents are less happy than non-parents, especially in the United States.2 They are also consistent with studies finding that parenthood is more positive for men than for women.3 However, parenthood may increase other aspects of well-being, especially finding meaning in life.4
In addition, studies repeatedly find that married people are generally happier than unmarried people.5 Being married is the most important differentiator of happiness in America, with married people 30 percentage points happier than unmarried people.6 However, little of this research has focused specifically on women, and it is unclear how marriage and motherhood are linked to one another and to women’s happiness.
There is a significant gender divide in the perception of marriage and happiness. A majority of both men (58%) and women (53%) agree that men who marry and have children are better off than those who do not. But only 32% of women believe that women who marry and have children live fuller, happier lives.7 At the same time, 55% of single women believe single women are generally happier than married women.8 In a 2024 Pew Research survey, less than half of single women (45%) said they eventually wanted to have children, while a majority of single young men (57%) said parenthood was an important life goal for them.9
Clearly, many single women today perceive getting married or becoming a mother to be transitions of loss. But is this perception true?
New data paint a different picture. In the 2022 General Social Survey (GSS), the nation’s leading social barometer, married mothers are happier than single childless women as well as married childless women and unmarried mothers.10 Other surveys have found similar results.11
To better clarify how marriage and motherhood are linked to women’s happiness, we fielded the Women’s Well-Being Survey (WWS) of 3,000 U.S. women, ages 25 to 55, conducted by YouGov in early March 2025 (for details, see About the Data and Methodology). We wanted to know: Why are married mothers the happiest group of women?
Read the full report here.
1 Jean M. Twenge, Generations: The Real Differences between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers and Silents—and What They Mean for America’s Future, 2nd edition (Atria Books, 2025).
2 Jennifer Glass, Robin W. Simon, & Matthew A. Andersson, “Parenthood and happiness: Effects of work-family reconciliation policies in 22 OCED countries,” American Journal of Sociology 122 (2016): 886-929.
3 S. Katherine Nelson, Kostadin Kushlev, et al., “In defense of parenthood: Children are associated with more joy than misery,” Psychological Science, 24 (2013): 3–10.
4 Roy F. Baumeister, Kathleen D. Vohs, et al., “Some key differences between a happy life and a meaningful life,” The Journal of Positive Psychology 8 (2013): 505-516; Paul Bloom, The Sweet Spot: The Pleasures of Suffering and the Search for Meaning (Ecco, 2012); Op. Cit., S. Katherine Nelson, S. Kostadin Kushlev, et al. (2013).
5 Steven Stack and J.Ross Eshleman, “Marital status and happiness: A 17-nation study,” Journal of Marriage and the Family 60 (2018): 527-536.
6 Sam Peltzman, “The Socio-Political Demography of Happiness,” George J. Stigler Center for the Study of the Economy & the State, Working Paper No. 331, July 12, 2023.
7 Daniel A. Cox, “Is marriage better for men?” American Storylines, November 30, 2023.
8 Daniel A. Cox, “Why fear governs so many of the choices single young women make,” American Storylines, November 28, 2024.
9 Carolina Aragao, “Among young adults without children, men are more likely than women to say they want to be parents someday,” Pew Research Center, February 15, 2024.
10 Brad Wilcox and Wendy Wang, “Who is happiest? Married mothers and fathers, per the latest General Social Survey,” Institute for Family Studies Blog, September 12, 2023.
11 Wendy Wang and Brad Wilcox, “Women want more children than they’re having. America can do more to help,” Deseret News, August 13, 2024.