U.S. births by unwed moms at record high

U.S. births by unwed moms at record high
By Mike Stobbe
Copyright © 2006, Chicago Tribune and The Associated Press
Published November 22, 2006

ATLANTA -- Out-of-wedlock births in the United States have climbed to an all-time high, accounting for nearly 4 in 10 babies born last year, government health officials said Tuesday.

While out-of-wedlock births have long been associated with teen mothers, the birthrate among girls ages 10 to 17 dropped last year to the lowest level on record. Births among unwed mothers rose most dramatically among women in their 20s.

Experts said the overall rise reflects the burgeoning number of people who are putting off marriage or living together without getting married. They said it also reflects the fact that having a child out of wedlock has grown more acceptable.

The increase in births to unwed mothers was seen in all racial groups but rose most sharply among Hispanics. It was up among all age groups except youngsters ages 10 to 17.

"A lot of people think of teenagers and unmarried mothers synonymously, but they are not driving this," said Stephanie Ventura of the National Center for Health Statistics, a co-author of the report.

Out-of-wedlock births have been rising since the late 1990s.

Dr. Yolanda Wimberly, an adolescent-medicine specialist at Atlanta's Morehouse School of Medicine, said more women in their 30s and 40s, hearing the biological clock, are choosing to give birth despite their single status. Younger women are not as worried about being unmarried, either, she added.

The birthrate among teenagers declined 2 percent in 2005, continuing a trend from the early 1990s. The rate is now about 40 births per 1,000 females ages 15 to 19.

The U.S. teen birthrate is still the highest among industrialized countries.