Abstract:  The relationship between parenthood and well-being is an important topic which concerns the individuals, families and the society as a whole. Now, it has become a hot research area in psychology and involves many factors to be taken into consideration, such as the basic human needs,the development of personality and different growing environments. Regarding this issue, common people around the world have some shared beliefs,while psychologists have different views.To date, empirical research that has focused on the well-being of parents has reported inconsistent results which may be explained by different definitions and measures of well-being used, and a variety of factors that may moderate the complex relationship between parenthood and well-being. Further, as society changes due to for example government policies and values, this relationship and the moderating variables may have changed over time.In this paper, we review the research in this area and the theories that have been used to explain the relationship between parenthood and well-being.Future research should aim to deepen our understanding of human nature, pay more attention to the heterogeneity of people, and do more empirical studies from the view of psychology.Such research has the potential to inform both mental health service provision and family- related policy.

Key words: parenthood, well-being, happiness, life-satisfaction, meaning