Becoming a parent: material and immaterial consequences in the 90's

Therese M. Jacobs, Center for Population and Family Studies, Brussels

The paper explores the consequences of becoming a parent both for the individual (intra individual)him/herself as in comparison with the peers who do not choose for a child (inter individual). The hypothesis is that material costs are counterbalanced by immaterial gains. The data are longitudinal, using the 1992 and 2001 waves of the panel study on Belgian Households. We use linear and logistic regression techniques to measure the effect of family formation on standardised household income and on the growth in this income on the one hand and the effect on satisfaction and depression and on the changes in mental health on the other hand. The effect on satisfaction with social life and free time is negligible, the effect on depression is visible only in the logistic analysis. The paper concludes by suggesting some new paths of analysis.