Marriage offers stability and support that eases motherhood while strengthening happiness, connection and meaning
PROVO, Utah, Aug. 26, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Contrary to a common narrative that women who marry and have children are less happy, a new study released today by Brigham Young University’s Wheatley Institute and the Institute for Family Studies (IFS) found that married mothers are happier than both women who are unmarried and those who do not have children. Titled “In Pursuit: Marriage, Motherhood, and Women’s Well-Being,” the report states married women are more likely than other women to report feeling deep connection and meaning in their relationships and are less likely to report being lonely.
“At a time when marriage and fertility rates have reached record lows in the United States, our study challenges prominent cultural narratives by revealing that marriage and motherhood provide deep emotional and social benefits,” said Jean Twenge, Professor of Psychology at San Diego State University and co-author of the study. “Pop culture portrayals, online forums and media headlines declaring single women without children are happier than married mothers are simply not true.”
The study found that married mothers are the happiest group of women, outpacing single women, married women without children, and unmarried mothers in nearly every measure of well-being. According to the survey of 3,000 women aged 25 to 55 in the United States, nearly twice as many married mothers reported being “very happy” compared to single, childless women. The married mothers were also more likely to say that life feels enjoyable most or all of the time. All of the analyses in the report controlled for age, family income, and education, so these factors cannot be the reason for the noted differences.
The study also found that motherhood provides women with a deepened sense of meaning and purpose in life with nearly half of married mothers stating their lives felt meaningful most or all the time, compared to only one-third of single, childless women. When women were asked if what they do in life is valuable and fulfilling, married mothers were more likely to strongly agree.
In addition, the survey revealed that married women are less likely to feel lonely than single, childless women. Notably, only 11% of married mothers and 9% of married women without children reported feeling lonely most or all the time. This is a stark difference compared to 23% of unmarried mothers and 20% of single, childless women who reported frequent loneliness. These findings counter preceding research that has suggested marriage leads to reduced social engagement and creates social isolation; in fact, marriage and motherhood appear to foster deeper social connection for many women, with married women reporting satisfaction with their friendships and involvement in community life comparable to or greater than other women. “While getting married and having children may mean less time hanging out with friends, marriage and children are also associated with other kinds of social engagement, including volunteer work, church attendance, and community connections” said Jenet Erickson, a Fellow at the Wheatley Institute and co-author of the study. “In fact, in our study, married mothers are just as likely to say they feel satisfied with their number of friends as other women.”
Another major insight from the study is the importance of meaningful physical touch in women’s emotional well-being. Nearly half of married women — with and without children — reported receiving regular physical affection as compared to only 13% of single, childless women. Research links physical touch to lower stress, increased emotional resilience and higher overall happiness. Women who reported higher levels of physical touch were three times more likely to describe themselves as “very happy.”
“This is the first study to focus on touch, family and women’s happiness,” said Brad Wilcox, senior fellow at IFS, adding, “and we find that not only do married women report significantly higher levels of physical touch but also that their experience of physical affection seems to help explain why they are happier. Regular real-world touch may matter more in a world where we spend too much time in the virtual world.”
The report concludes that despite the challenges associated with family life for women—including more stress and less time for oneself—there is no question that marriage and motherhood are linked to greater female flourishing on many other fronts. “Women are often told that staying single and child-free leads to the happiest and most fulfilling life, but our findings paint a complex yet hopeful picture of the benefits of marriage and motherhood in women’s lives,” said Wendy Wang, Director of Research at the Institute for Family Studies. “While marriage and motherhood are certainly challenging, our research makes it clear that married mothers are thriving in ways that challenge current stereotypes about family life.”
“Marriage appears to offer a stabilizing and supportive context that lifts the burdens of motherhood, while strengthening happiness, connection, and meaning,” concluded Jason Carroll, the Family Initiative Director at the Wheatley Institute. “That reality should invite our best efforts, both culturally and politically, to support and strengthen single mothers even as we also work to increase the likelihood and quality of marriages since the opportunities for greater touch, less loneliness, and more meaning provide married mothers the most joyful lives.”
Key data from the survey includes:
- Happiness
- Married mothers are nearly twice as likely to report being “very happy” compared to single, childless women.
- 47% of married mothers and 43% of married childless women say life feels enjoyable, compared to 40% of unmarried mothers and 34% of unmarried childless women.
- Social Connection
- According to the data, married women are about half as likely as unmarried women to experience frequent loneliness.
- Only 11% of married mothers and 9% of married women report feeling lonely most or all the time, compared to 23% of unmarried mothers and 20% of unmarried childless women.
- In this survey, married mothers are just as likely to say they feel satisfied with their number of friends as other women. In contrast, unmarried women without children are more likely to report difficulties with making new friends than married and unmarried moms.
- Physical Touch
- 47% of married mothers and 49% of married childless women report high levels of regular physical touch, compared to only 23% of unmarried mothers and 13% of unmarried childless women.
- Women who experience high levels of physical affection are more than three times as likely to be very happy (22%) compared to women who experience low levels of touch (7%).
- 58% of married mothers and 61% of married childless women say they often receive hugs or kisses, compared to just 36% of unmarried mothers and just 18% of unmarried childless women.
- Married mothers are nearly twice as likely to frequently hold hands as unmarried mothers. Meanwhile, married childless women are over four times as likely to hold hands as unmarried childless women.
- 48% of married mothers and 49% of married childless women report regularly cuddling or snuggling with someone, compared to 26% of unmarried mothers and 14% of unmarried childless women.
- Meaning and Purpose
- In the survey, 33% of married mothers and 30% of unmarried mothers strongly agree with the statement, “what I do in life is valuable and worthwhile,” compared to just 24% of married childless women and 20% of unmarried childless women.
- Motherhood Challenges
- To be fair, the WWS also found that motherhood comes with many challenges as well. Mothers are more likely than non-mothers to feel overwhelmed and exhausted each day. About 64% of married and unmarried mothers report feeling overwhelmed on a daily basis, compared to 56% of married and single women without children. Additionally, 79% of unmarried mothers and 77% of married mothers feel exhausted every day, though 71% of unmarried childless women and 72% of married childless women do as well.
- Mothers also say they have less time to themselves: 59% of unmarried mothers and 58% of married mothers report they wish they had more time for themselves, compared with 40% of married childless women and 43% of unmarried childless women. Yet, as the study showed, married mothers simultaneously report greater happiness, meaning, and purpose.
Methodology
The findings in this report are based on the Women’s Well-being Survey (WWS), a collaboration between the Institute for Family Studies and the Wheatley Institute at Brigham Young University. The study was conducted by YouGov between March 1 and 12, 2025, the survey included a representative sample of 3,000 U.S. women aged 25 to 55, with 1,551 respondents having children under 18. The final dataset of 3,000 was derived from 3,035 completed interviews. Survey participants were matched to a sampling frame based on age, race and education. This sampling frame was created from various public data sources to reflect U.S. national demographics. The matched cases were weighted using propensity scores and adjusted for employment patterns, marital status and parental status, ensuring the final sample mirrored the general U.S. female population aged 25 to 55. All reported numbers in the survey are weighted marginal means, controlling for family income, age and education.
The full report is available at: https://wheatley.byu.edu/motherhood-report
About the Wheatley Institute
The Wheatley Institute at Brigham Young University engages students, scholars, thought leaders, and the public in research supported work that fortifies the core institutions of the family, religion, and constitutional government. For more information, visit https://wheatley.byu.edu/.
The Institute for Family Studies (IFS)
The Institute for Family Studies is a 501(c)(3)organization. The mission of IFS is to strengthen marriage and family life and advance the welfare of children through research and public education. For more information, visit: www.ifstudies.org
For more information, contact Mark Newman: [email protected]
SOURCE Wheatley Institute
