Married women with children are significantly more more likely to describe themselves as “very blissful” in comparison with single or childless women, in keeping with a latest study.
The 2025 Women’s Well-being Survey (WWS), conducted by YouGov and commissioned by the Institute for Family Studies (IFS) and the Wheatley Institute, surveyed 3,000 women between the ages of 25 to 55 across the US.
The findings from the report, In Pursuit: Marriage, Motherhood, and Women’s Well-Being, suggest that marriage and motherhood offer meaningful boosts to women’s happiness, sense of purpose, and social connection.
The survey found that in comparison with single women without children, married moms are almost twice as more likely to discover themselves as “very blissful,” with almost half (47%) also saying that life feels enjoyable more often than not in comparison with just over a 3rd of single women without children (34%).
Married women, whether or not they have children (47%) or not (49%), were also way more more likely to say they often receive physical affection equivalent to hugs or kisses, with nearly half experiencing this in comparison with lower than 1 / 4 (23%) of single moms and just 13% of single women without children.
The data further showed that girls who receive greater frequency of physical touch are 3 times more more likely to say they’re very blissful.
In addition, feelings of loneliness were significantly lower amongst married women, with only around one in 10 saying they experienced this ceaselessly, in comparison with around one in five of their single peers.
The report’s authors say the findings ward off against the common belief that single women without children are happier.
Professor of Psychology at San Diego State University Jean Twenge remarked: “Pop culture portrayals, online forums and media headlines declaring single women without children are happier than married moms are simply not true … our study challenges distinguished cultural narratives by revealing that marriage and motherhood provide deep emotional and social advantages.”
Professor of Sociology on the University of Virginia Brad Wilcox highlighted the role of real-world affection: “This is the primary study to give attention to touch, family, and girls’s happiness, and we discover that not only do married women report significantly higher levels of physical touch but additionally that their experience of normal physical touch seems to assist explain why they’re happier. Regular real-world touch may matter more in a world where contemporary Americans spend an excessive amount of time within the virtual world.”
Another contributor, Jenet Erickson of the Wheatley Institute, identified that while motherhood may reduce time spent socialising with friends, it also fosters broader community ties through church, volunteering, and family networks.
She noted: “In our study, married moms are only as more likely to say they feel satisfied with their variety of friends as other women.”
The study concludes that while marriage and parenting entail difficulties, in addition they provide women with a deeper sense of meaning and well-being.
Director of Research at IFS, Wendy Wang, stated: “Women are sometimes told that staying single and child-free results in the happiest and most fulfilling life, but our findings paint a fancy yet hopeful picture of the advantages of marriage and motherhood in women’s lives.
“While marriage and motherhood are definitely difficult, our research makes it clear that married moms are thriving in ways in which challenge current stereotypes about family life.”
 Married women with children are significantly more more likely to describe themselves as “very blissful” in comparison with single or childless women, in...){kind=link}