Fear of divorce, living together before marriage or other lifestyle alternatives all may be factors in the increasing number of children who are being born to single mothers, according to experts who are studying the numbers.
Susan Shapiro Barash, author of "Women of Divorce: Mothers, Daughters, Step-mothers -- The New Triangle", put it simply: “Since women today have more choices than in the past, the notion of having a child on one's own represents just one option.
According to
studies from the
Center for Disease Control, between 1980 and 2006 the percent of babies born to unmarried women, ages 15 to 44, more than doubled from 18 percent to nearly 40 percent, reaching record highs in the United States. “Out of wedlock babies are on the rise,” explains
Dr. LeslieBeth Wish, psychologist, social worker and author of "The No Nonsense Woman’s Guide to Love."
And that's not to say that they are not in committed relationships or living with their partners. A survey by
ChildTrends.org, a social science research organization, shows about 52 percent of babies born to an unmarried moms arrived to households where two parents were present.
Dr. David Popenoe, founder and co-director of the
National Marriage Project at Rutgers University, said living together before marriage is an increasing trend. “The more divorces that you have, especially bad divorces, the more difficult it is for young people to envision themselves in a happy marriage.”
Regardless of the reasons, some women simply thrive as mothers, no matter what their marital status, Barash said. “If a woman is a positive, reliable role model and establishes family rituals, routines and traditions that are firm then her children will not be in that next generation of troubled children," she said.
If you're an unmarried woman living with your child's father, be warned about potential legal issues, said Belinda Rachman, a divorce attorney and mediation expert. “With no legal father, the child has no claim to an inheritance that would otherwise and automatically go to the child if the father dies without a will. Something like 70 percent of the population don’t have wills,” she said.
No matter what the circumstances for single moms,
Paul Davis, a relationship coach and author of "Are You Ready for True Love?“ , said "...I salute the single parent who honors and nurtures the precious life of a child, even if they must do so alone.”
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More information about cohabitation.Kelly Sons is an experienced newspaper reporter. Her work has appeared in newspapers across middle Tennessee and regional magazines. 