华东师范大学学报(哲学社会科学版) ›› 2021, Vol. 53 ›› Issue (4): 150-165.doi: 10.16382/j.cnki.1000-5579.2021.04.014

• 社会经济新发展探讨 • 上一篇    下一篇

子女数量和子女质量对父母自评幸福度的影响

李强, 董隽含, 张欣   

  • 出版日期:2021-07-15 发布日期:2021-07-19
  • 作者简介:李强,华东师范大学中国现代城市研究中心暨社会发展学院人口研究所教授(上海,200241)|董隽含,中国人民大学社会与人口学院博士研究生(北京,100872)|张欣,吉林省吉林市市场监督管理局三级主任科员(吉林省吉林市,132001)
  • 基金资助:
    上海市哲学社会科学规划基金“上海市老年人的健康预期寿命的变动趋势、影响机制及未来变化的预测”(项目编号:2019BSH002)

The Effects of Children’s Quantity and Quality on Parental Subjective Well-being

Qiang LI, Jun-han DONG, Xin ZHANG   

  • Online:2021-07-15 Published:2021-07-19

摘要:

随着社会经济的发展、观念的改变和社会保障体系的不断完善,我国的代际关系发生了巨大的变化;而深入研究子女数量、子女质量与父母的福祉之关系,对于厘清处于不同生命阶段的代际关系具有重要的理论和现实意义。为此,使用2015年中国健康与养老追踪调查(CHARLS)数据,考察子女数量和子女质量(以子女的年收入和受教育程度来测量)对中年和老年父母自评幸福度(以生活满意度和抑郁度来测量)的影响,其结果发现:子女数量越多,父母的生活满意度越低,抑郁度越高,多子未必多福;子女的收入水平越高,父母的生活满意度越高,抑郁度越低;子女的受教育程度越高,中年父母的生活满意度越低,但是老年父母的抑郁度越低;父母个体和家庭的资源优势可以抵消子女数量的影响,但是不能抵消子女质量的影响,子女质量对父母幸福度的影响更稳健。基于此,相关方面应提升个人和家庭的发展能力,创造更多更公平的教育机会,对子女处于受教育阶段的家庭给予更多的支持,对弱势家庭给予教育倾斜政策。

关键词: 子女数量, 子女质量, 父母自评幸福度, 年收入, 受教育程度, 生活满意度, 抑郁度

Abstract:

With the development of society and economy, the change of ideas and the improvement of social security system, the intergenerational relationship in China has undergone great changes. An in-depth study of the association between the number and quality of children and parents’ well-being is of great theoretical and practical significance to clarifying intergenerational relationships at different life stages. To this end, using the 2015 China Health and Aging Tracking Data for the Elderly (CHARLS), we examine the effects of the number of children and the quality of children (measured by children’s annual income and education level) on the subjective well-being (measured by life satisfaction and depression) of middle-aged and elderly parents. It shows that the higher the number of children, the lower the life satisfaction and the higher the depression of parents. The higher the children’s income level, the higher the life satisfaction and lower the depression of parents. The higher the children’s education level, the lower the life satisfaction of middle-aged parents, but the lower the depression of older parents. The resource advantage at the individual level and the family level can offset the effects of the number of children, but not the effects of the quality of children on parental well-being. The effects of the quality of children are more robust and significant to parental well-being. Based on this, it is recommended to enhance the development capacity of individuals and families, create more and more equitable educational opportunities, give more support to families whose children are at the stage of education, and give education inclination policies to disadvantaged families.

Key words: children’s quantity, children’s quality, parental subjective well-being, annual income, education level, life satisfaction, depression