Used data from 945 adults to distinguish 6 categories of parental status. Examined extent to which variations in normative expectedness of parental experiences explained differences in well-being. Findings suggest that parental situation effects vary by gender and economic pressures. Childlessness past age 30 had greater negative impact for women;…

Data from the National Longitudinal Surveys of Labor Market Experience of Youth are used to examine and contrast the effects of family context and individual characteristics on adolescents' expectations about adolescent fertility, nonmarital childbearing, family size, and childlessness. Socioeconomic and racial patterns are identified. (SLD)