AUTHOR=Zhou Rong , Cui Jinghang , Yin Xingxing 

TITLE=Children-related factors associated with life satisfaction of urban older adults living alone in China

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 12 - 2024

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1353052

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2024.1353052

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=Based on a cross-sectional study on 2,801 urban older adults living alone (UOALA) in five Chinese cities, the association of the number of children, their gender structure and gender of children by birth order with the life satisfaction of UOALA is studied using the OLS and OLogit methods to verify traditional reproductive views. Empirical research shows that the number of children has a positive association with life satisfaction of UOALA, which is greater in male older adults than in female ones. The increase in the number of daughters is significantly associated with higher life satisfaction. In terms of gender structure, UOALA with multiple children, including both sons and daughters, tend to have a higher level of life satisfaction, which partly validates the cohort reproductive preference. In terms of gender of children by birth order, UOALA whose first child is a daughter have higher life satisfaction, which is more pronounced among male UOALA, while the association of gender of children by birth order on female UOALA is relatively weak.