Reproduction is energetically and physiologically costly, and individuals investing resources in offspring often face health deterioration and potentially shorter lifespans. Since the energetic and nutritional demands of pregnancy and breastfeeding are much greater for women than for men, women with numerous children may exhibit signs of declining health, while men with large families may not show the same effects. However, the question of whether reproductive costs impact women’s longevity remains debated, and this issue has not been thoroughly explored in men.
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Additionally, since producing sons is energetically more demanding than producing daughters, having sons may have a more pronounced negative effect on maternal longevity compared to having daughters.
In a Polish rural population, we document a notable difference in how children affect the lifespans of mothers and fathers. Our findings indicate that the number of daughters is positively correlated with longer lifespans for fathers, with an average increase of 74 weeks of longevity for each daughter born. Conversely, the number of sons did not significantly impact paternal longevity.
In contrast, for mothers, both the number of daughters and sons negatively affected longevity, reducing it by approximately 95 weeks per child, regardless of gender. This suggests that the reproductive costs associated with having sons and daughters are similar for women.
