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Gender differences in the association between parity and cognitive function: Evidence from the UK biobank
Yan Zhang1, Jason Fletcher1, Qiongshi Lu2
1Center for Demography of Health and Aging, University of Wisconsin, Madison, United States.
Social Science & Medicine (1982)
|January 29, 2023
Summary
Having children benefits fathers' cognitive function, but may negatively impact mothers' in specific areas like memory and fluid intelligence. Educational attainment influences these gendered cognitive patterns.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Sociology of Health
Background:
- Previous research on fertility and late-life cognition used limited cognitive measures and small sample sizes.
- Understanding the relationship between having children (parity) and cognitive function is crucial for aging research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate gender-specific associations between parity and cognitive function across five domains.
- To expand on prior work by using a larger scope of cognitive measures and sample size.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of cognitive function across five domains in relation to fertility history.
- Examination of gendered patterns in cognitive function between men and women.
- Exploration of potential confounding factors, including genetic cognitive ability and educational attainment.
Main Results:
- Fathers showed better cognitive function across all five domains with increasing parity.
- Mothers exhibited worse cognitive function in numeric memory, prospective memory, and fluid intelligence compared to childless women.
- Educational attainment strengthened parity-cognition associations for men but largely eliminated them for women.
Conclusions:
- Parity presents as a potential protective or risk factor for cognitive health in parents.
- Gender significantly moderates the relationship between parity and cognitive function.
- The choice of cognitive measures impacts observed results, necessitating further research across more domains.
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