Parents Versus Childless Couples: Is Being Childless Making People Happier?

Americans without kids have been increasing for decades with almost 50% of women ages 15 to 44 childless, according to the last census report. It may appear to look that parents aren't as happy as childless couples since, being without child is a growing trend that promises financial stability; they call the family structure "DINKs" - double income, no kids. But let's consider two aspects: work policies in America and financial planning.

Medical Xpress reports a recent study published on June 22 in the American Journal of Sociology and establishes  that American parents aren't as happy as their childless peers. An assistant professor of sociology at Baylor University, in Waco, Texas, and researcher Matthew Andersson explains that the large "happiness gap" between" parents and childless couples is due to the insufficiency of standard work policies allowing parents to have a flexible schedule, vacation or sick leave to support child rearing. On the other hand, countries with government-mandated paid leave policies have a smaller "happiness gap" between parents and childless couples, concluding that child care programs improve parents' happiness and society as a whole.

USA Today focuses on childless couples' financial stability and they are exempted from $245,000 cost of raising a child until age 17, where the logic "kids are expensive" is based. The sum of money could be used to fund retirement for childless couples, in theory. But childless couples would also have other costly things like travel, for instance, and retirement planning may seem insignificant.

Though retirement can be more predictable, childless couples should realize that preparation for the death of a spouse is essential, since they don't have children to rely upon. This is when income usually goes down, tax liabilities increase and expenses either stay the same or increase which the surviving partner would shoulder on their own, as explained by Gregory Hammer of Hammer Financial Group.

Childless couples' counterpart, DEWK or double earners with kids should also be vigilant to crunch the numbers, plan for everything and retirement income to long-term care shouldn't be neglected. Sally Brandon of Rebalance IRA summed it up: "Being aware, as with anything, is half the battle."