{"title":"Rewards and Costs of Being a Mother: Motherhood and Women's Mental Health in China","authors":"Xiangpo Chen","doi":"10.1111/cwe.12586","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>Women's well-being has gained increasing importance in global health agendas. This study employed longitudinal data from 36,144 women in China from 2010 to 2018 to investigate the impact of motherhood on women's mental health. Using a model that incorporated interactions between time trends and individual and household characteristics, the study revealed that women with newborns generally reported higher levels of mental well-being. However, those with toddlers aged 3–6 were more likely to experience symptoms of depression. The impact of motherhood on mental health was shaped by the interplay between the emotional benefits linked to hormonal changes and the emotional costs associated with childcare obligations. Access to supportive childcare services can help women alleviate the stresses of maternal responsibility, thereby enhancing their mental well-being. When adequate resources are available, motherhood may not pose significant challenges to women's mental health.</p>","PeriodicalId":51603,"journal":{"name":"China & World Economy","volume":"33 3","pages":"271-294"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9000,"publicationDate":"2025-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"China & World Economy","FirstCategoryId":"96","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cwe.12586","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ECONOMICS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Women's well-being has gained increasing importance in global health agendas. This study employed longitudinal data from 36,144 women in China from 2010 to 2018 to investigate the impact of motherhood on women's mental health. Using a model that incorporated interactions between time trends and individual and household characteristics, the study revealed that women with newborns generally reported higher levels of mental well-being. However, those with toddlers aged 3–6 were more likely to experience symptoms of depression. The impact of motherhood on mental health was shaped by the interplay between the emotional benefits linked to hormonal changes and the emotional costs associated with childcare obligations. Access to supportive childcare services can help women alleviate the stresses of maternal responsibility, thereby enhancing their mental well-being. When adequate resources are available, motherhood may not pose significant challenges to women's mental health.
期刊介绍：
The bi-monthly China & World Economy was launched in 1993 by the Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS). It is the only English-language journal in China devoted to the topic of the Chinese economy. The journal aims to provide foreign readers with an objective, impartial, analytical and up-to-date account of the problems faced and progress made by China in its interaction with the world economy. Among its contributors are many distinguished Chinese economists from both academic and government circles. As such, it has become a unique window on China and is essential reading for all those concerned with China"s development.
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