With all the hoopla surrounding the NCAA basketball tournament, Bruce Willis’ new marriage, and Lance Armstrong’s broken collarbone, you may have missed this bit of breaking news today: A record number of babies were born in the United States in 2007… and nearly half were welcomed by unmarried parents.
Sarcasm aside (regarding the first part of the last sentence), this fact is legitimate. According to a new federal study, more babies were born in the United States in 2007 than any other year in the nation’s history – and a wedding ring made little difference in the matter. The new study reveals that of the 4,317,119 births reported in 2007 nearly 50 percent were to unwed mothers—-that’s an all-time high, according to researchers. In addition, the study showed that the teen birth rate was up for a second year in a row.
“For a variety of reasons, it’s become more acceptable for women to have babies without a husband,” Duke University’s S. Philip Morgan, a leading fertility researcher told reporters today.
Adding to the high number of single parent births—experts say more couples these days live together without getting married and have as many children as married folk. What’s more, researchers point out that women of all nationalities- especially those in their 30s and 40s – are choosing to have children despite their single status.
The statistics are based on a review of 2007 birth certificates by the National Center for Health Statistics. Researchers would not speculate on the reasons behind the unusually high number of unmarried couples and single women having babies, save for saying that it is becoming increasingly acceptable in today’s society to birth babies out of wedlock.
Personally, I wonder how many of those unwed mothers willingly choose to give birth and raise children solo. I would be willingly to bet that many of them, specifically the teenage ones dream of getting married and raising their children with the help of a loving and supportive partner. As for the unmarried men and women who rather have children together than walk down the aisle together, sadly, their situation is all too common. In fact, even in families where it was once taboo to cohabitate and raise children without a marriage certificate, it is accepted because, “Well, heck, so many other people are doing it; what difference does a piece of paper make?”
Are you the product of unwed parents? Did it matter to you that your mom and dad never made it to the altar?
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