The Relative Rewards and Costs of Childlessness for Older Women |
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| Authors: | Betsy Bosak Houser Sherry L. Berkman Linda J. Beckman |
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| Affiliation: | Department of Psychiatry, University of California, Los Angeles |
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| Abstract: | Currently married or widowed women aged 60–75 (N = 719), either childless or with one or more children, were interviewed about advantages and disadvantages of childlessness and about other family-related and social areas. Results indicate that childless older women did not conform to a stereotype of unhappiness and dissatisfaction. Respondents with and without children valued the rewards of their particular lifestyle and perceived costs in the other. |
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