Re-partnering boosts single mothers’ life satisfaction, mainly through higher income

A study of single mothers in the United Kingdom and Germany found that their life satisfaction tends to improve after finding a new partner, primarily due to income-related factors. Single mothers who did not re-partner tended to have higher incomes compared to those who did. In Germany, but not in the United Kingdom, they also tended to have higher levels of education. The research was published in the Journal of Marriage and Family.

Family plays a major role in shaping an individual’s mental health across the lifespan. Supportive family relationships can foster resilience, emotional well-being, and healthy coping strategies. In contrast, family conflict, abuse, neglect, or dysfunction can contribute to the development of mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress. Family members often serve as caregivers, a role that can be both supportive and emotionally demanding.

Among family structures, single mothers are considered a particularly vulnerable group. On average, they report worse mental health and lower life satisfaction compared to partnered mothers. High stress levels related to financial hardship and limited social resources are seen as key contributors to their difficulties. Finding a new partner may help to alleviate these challenges and improve mental health.

Study author Philipp Dierker and his colleagues sought to examine how the mental health and life satisfaction of single mothers in Germany and the United Kingdom change after re-partnering. Both countries have rates of single motherhood above the European Union average (19% in Germany, 15% in the United Kingdom), but differ in their welfare state policies.

“In the 1990s and 2000s, Germany implemented labor market and family policy reforms, transitioning from cash benefits to in-kind benefits and employment incentives, and now has a hybrid welfare state model that combines liberal and social–democratic elements. The UK, which follows a liberal, market-oriented model, provides less state support than Germany, placing responsibility for family support and childcare mainly on private market arrangements,” the researchers explained.

“In 1998, the UK introduced the ‘New Deal for Lone Parents,’ which actively promoted single parents’ labor market participation. Single mothers’ employment rates have been higher in Germany than in the UK since at least 2005.”

The researchers analyzed data from two major longitudinal studies: the German Socio-Economic Panel, a nationally representative survey of private households conducted annually since 1984, and the British Household Panel Study, which began in 1991. For Germany, data from 1984 to 2020 were analyzed, while United Kingdom data covered the period from 1996 to 2020.

The analyses focused on single mothers who re-partnered during the study period. This included 1,101 German and 549 British mothers. On average, researchers had four to five years of data per participant.

Single mothers were defined as women living with their biological children, at least one of whom was underage. They were considered re-partnered in the year a male partner moved into their household.

Life satisfaction was measured by asking participants, “How satisfied are you with your life, all things considered?” Mental health was assessed using the mental health component summary score derived from the SF-12 questionnaire. The researchers also considered a range of factors that could influence mental health and life satisfaction, including household income, time spent on housework, residential moves, social status, and whether children from the new partner also joined the household.

Results showed that single mothers who did not re-partner tended to have higher monthly incomes at the time they became single mothers compared to those who later re-partnered. In Germany, but not in the United Kingdom, non-repartnered mothers also tended to have higher levels of education.

Single mothers who re-partnered generally reported higher life satisfaction and better mental health than those who remained single. Their household income also tended to be higher after re-partnering.

When researchers looked at changes over time, they found that life satisfaction improved after re-partnering among both German and United Kingdom participants, although the effect was smaller in the United Kingdom. In Germany, life satisfaction continued to improve for two years after re-partnering but plateaued in the third year.

Changes in mental health, however, differed between countries. In Germany, mental health remained stable after re-partnering. In the United Kingdom, mental health tended to decline after re-partnering. Further analysis revealed that the overall decline in mental health in the United Kingdom was largely driven by mothers who separated from their new partner within five years of re-partnering. Among those who remained with their new partner, no decline in mental health was observed.

Income-related factors—specifically improvements in household income—appeared to be the strongest drivers of increases in life satisfaction following re-partnering in both countries.

The study sheds light on the psychological effects of re-partnering among single mothers. However, the authors note some limitations. The study did not account for re-partnering arrangements where the partners lived separately while sharing some resources. It also did not distinguish between forming a new partnership and reconciling with a former partner who rejoined the household.

The paper, “Re-partnering and single mothers’ mental health and life satisfaction trajectories,” was authored by Philipp Dierker, Mine Kühn, and Mikko Myrskylä.