Happiness Tax Highest In United States
Research over the past 40 years has generally suggested that adults with children are less happy than nonparents.
Dr. Jennifer Glass studied the happiness of parents and nonparents in 22 industrialized countries. She discovered that overall Americans rated their happiness as among the highest of any country, second only to Finland in a soon to be published study in the American Journal of Sociology.
However, Americans also reported the highest parenting-happiness tax among all of the countries in her study. Being a parent in America is more likely to result in a greater drop in happiness than in any other of the 22 countries. Parenting is tough, but why is it more so in America than elsewhere? The researchers looked at a variety of social policies related to parenting, and have suggested an interesting insight into understanding the problems of American parents. They concluded that “…the more generous family policies, particularly paid time off and childcare subsidies are associated with smaller disparities in happiness between parents and nonparents.”
Parents Imposing Happiness Tax On Themselves
It makes sense the pressures of parenting can be mitigated by allowing moms and dads more flexibility in their work … Read More... “Why Do Parents Pay a Happiness Tax?”