It might surprise you to learn that today, 48 percent of first-time mothers are unmarried. This figure is not about a rise in teen pregnancy, though. It’s about a different demographic shift. The children of teen moms make up only 23 percent of all unmarried births. Sixty percent of the women having their first child out of marriage are women in their twenties. It’s just one sign of the greatly shifting definition of marriage in this country.
Kay Hymowitz is a William E. Simon fellow at the Manhattan Institute and author of “Knot Yet: The Benefits and Costs of Delayed Marriage in America” and Stacia Brown is founder of the blog Beyond Baby Mamas, a resource for single parents of color.
Our Washington correspondent, Todd Zwillich, is filling in as host all this week. Follow Todd on Twitter for the latest from Capitol Hill.
Follow Todd for the latest from Washington
//
The story you just read is available to read for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, the reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
When you make a gift of $10 or more a month, we’ll invite you to a virtual behind-the-scenes tour of our newsroom to thank you for being with The World.