Doubts about this often heard suggestion formed the starting point of the present study, which is part of a larger international comparative project investigating childlessness in late life.
Childlessness is examined in relation to other life domains.
More specifically, the implications for late life outcomes of a person's marital history, parental history, and occupational career are examined. In 1992 interviews were conducted with over 4400 Dutch men and women between the ages of 55 and 89. 622 respondents never had children, while 48 have outlived their offspring. For example, though the absence of children is associated with lower levels of well- being, it is associated with higher income levels. The results indicate furthermore that childlessness is more consequential for women than for men, and particularly consequential for married women.