RESEARCH_FILE
Kei Nomaguchi
Bowling Green State University
Known for:National panel research on the costs and rewards of becoming a parent, including effects on social integration and well-being
SEE THE PRACTICE
Turn a thought this research explains into one clear move.
THE THOUGHT
“My friends stopped inviting me since I had kids”
YOUR RECORDED RESPONSE
“Half the network shrinks for everyone who becomes a parent. This is a tide, not a verdict.”
ONE PRIVATE MOVE
Write down one specific time in the next week you actually have free time. Tell one person that day in a single sentence. Don't ask permission or apologize. Observe what happens without deciding the meaning beforehand.
Key findings
- 2003
Tracking 1,933 previously childless adults nationally, Nomaguchi and Milkie find becoming a parent carries both costs and rewards that vary by gender and marital status — but social integration was greater for all groups of new parents. Costs and Rewards of Children: The Effects of Becoming a Parent on Adults' Lives ↗