She's Leaving Home: A Large Sample Investigation of the Empty Nest Syndrome

This presentation presents recent research about the Empty Nest Syndrome using the SOEP. Using life satisfaction, the investigation considers the subjective well-being of mothers and/or fathers following the  departure  of  the  last  child  from  the  parental  home. Following a brief literature review and discussion of economic considerations, empirical results are presented from both fixed effects analysis and entropy balancing. In both cases, evidence for the existence of an Empty nest Syndrome are found. Moderators and confounders are also uncovered, highlighting what may exacerbate or ameliorate somewhat the lower well-being of new Empty Nesters.