Unmarried parenthood in the US reached a record high in 2013, with 2 in 5 births to unmarried mothers. Lower-income households have more out-of-wedlock births, with 60% of first births in lower-middle-class households being to single mothers. The rise in unmarried parenting is due to people delaying marriage but not having children later. Teenage pregnancies account for only 1/5 of all unmarried births. The typical single mother is in her early 20s, has a high school education, and is often in a serious relationship with her child’s father.
Unmarried parenthood in the United States hit an all-time high in 2013, with an estimated two in five births to unmarried mothers. The lower the household income, the more frequent births out of wedlock are for first-time mothers. Nearly 60% of first births in lower-middle-class US households are to single mothers. For mothers with less than a high school education, more than 80% of their first births occur out of wedlock. The rate of first births out of wedlock for university graduates, however, is only 12%. Teenage pregnancies, which once led to the majority of unmarried parenting in the United States, accounted for just one-fifth of all unmarried births in early 2013. The rise in unmarried parenting is thought to be a result of people which delay marriage but do not delay having children, because more women are working and financially independent. The median age of marriage in the United States in 2010 was approximately 28 for men and 26 for women, compared with 26.8 and 25.1, respectively, in 2000.
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The typical single mother in the United States is in her early 20s, has a high school education, and is often in a serious relationship with her child’s father.
The teen pregnancy rate in the United States decreased by 42% from 1990 to 2008.
About 40% of single US parents are no longer together within the first five years of their child’s life, compared to less than 15% of married parents.
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