The Personal and Marital Adjustment of Mothers and of Voluntarily and Involuntarily Childless Wives

Abstract

The effect of children upon levels of personal well-being and the quality of marriages is a central topic of family research. In this study 60 Australian mothers 36 voluntarily childless wives and 53 infertile women completed several measures of psychological well-being and marital adjustment. Levels of personal well-being for the 3 groups were very similar; however infertile women did report lower global levels of well-being and rated life as less interesting and less rewarding. Mothers and voluntarily childless wives were similarly satisfied with their lives. Both groups of childless women were more pleased than mothers with the amount of freedom and flexibility in their lives. Infertile women were also more positive about the amount of love in their lives and the level of support they received from family and friends. They also reported loving marital relationships and were generally more satisfied with their marriage than were mothers and the voluntarily childless. In contrast to other women the voluntarily childless reported more time with their husbands more exchanges of ideas and higher levels of consensus. (authors modified)