When and how does the number of children affect marital satisfaction? An international survey

PLoS One. 2021 Apr 22;16(4):e0249516. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0249516. eCollection 2021.

Abstract

The present global study attempts to verify the links between marital satisfaction and the number of children as well as its moderators in an international sample. Data for the study was obtained from our published dataset and included 7178 married individuals from 33 countries and territories. We found that the number of children was a significant negative predictor of marital satisfaction; also sex, education, and religiosity were interacting with the number of children and marital satisfaction, while there were no interactions with economic status and individual level of individualistic values. The main contribution of the present research is extending our knowledge on the relationship between marital satisfaction and the number of children in several, non-Western countries and territories.

Publication types

  • Multicenter Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Child
  • Databases, Factual
  • Family Characteristics
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Marriage / psychology*
  • Personal Satisfaction
  • Socioeconomic Factors
  • Spouses / psychology*
  • Surveys and Questionnaires

Grants and funding

AG-B was supported by Wincenty Styś's scholarship funded by Wroclaw municipality for the academic year 2020/21.