How many children is the “ideal” for a family to have? A new study offers a curious answer: among the families analyzed, parents of two daughters report the highest levels of happiness.
Scientists from Zhejiang Gongshang University analyzed data from six waves of the Chinese General Social Survey, conducted between 2012 and 2021. The sample included a total of 49,752 families.
Participants answered questions about theirsatisfaction and happiness, the number of children, and their gender. The results, published in the scientific journal Acta Psychologica, show a positive relationship between having only daughters and the parents' reported happiness.
The highest values were recorded among middle-aged parents with two girls.
“There are significant differences in the relationship between the gender composition of children and happiness, with an advantage for daughters“, they point out the authors.
Among the famous couples with two daughters are former US President Barack Obama and lawyer and writer Michelle Obama, whose daughters are Malia and Sasha Obama. Actors Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes also have two girls.
Why do daughters bring higher satisfaction?
The researchers offer two main explanations. The first is related to social roles and the way in which girls and boys are traditionally raised to build relationships and express their emotions.
According to the authors, women in many societies are more often socialized to show empathy, emotional openness and a stronger orientation towards interpersonal relationships. This could affect relationships with parents in adulthood.
The second possible explanation is maintaining family ties between different generations. Previous research has shown that this role is more often taken on by women.
“Daughters are more likely to initiate contact, provide emotional support and be confidants for their aging parents,” the researchers noted.
This could explain why the positive link between daughters and parental happiness is particularly evident among middle-aged and older adults.
However, the authors highlight an important limitation: the study was conducted only among people in China. Family relationships are strongly influenced by culture, economic conditions, social norms and traditional ideas about the roles of sons and daughters. Therefore, the results cannot be automatically transferred to families in Europe, the United States or other parts of the world.
The study also does not show that having two daughters in itself causes greater happiness. It establishes a statistical relationship in a specific population, and satisfaction with family life depends on many other factors, including relationships between partners, health, financial security and the quality of the relationship between parents and children.