Subjective well-being of parents and childless adults in Chile

The relationship between parenthood and subjective well-being has been a subject of considerable interest in recent decades. Some studies have indicated that mothers and fathers exhibit lower levels of subjective well-being than those who are not parents, leading to the phenomenon known as the “well-being gap”. However, the results are often contradictory, and few studies have been conducted in the Latin American context. The objective of this study was to compare the subjective well-being of adults with and without children residing in Greater Santiago and Greater Concepción. The research employed a cross-sectional design, stratified sampling (n = 995) and included adults with and without children between the ages of 20 and 46. Subjective and eudaimonic well-being indicators were evaluated, along with sociodemographic factors as covariates. Mothers and fathers exhibited lower levels of life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect than adults without children. Meaning in life was the only well-being indicator positively associated with parenthood. Age and sex moderated some of these relationships. Differences were found between the two cities studied. A subjective well-being gap among parents in Chilean urban contexts was confirmed for most of the indicators evaluated, but not always in the same way in both urban centers.