Family Facts: Social Science Research on Family, Society & Religion
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Data: Single mothers aged 20 or older at the time of their
children’s births were more like teenage mothers, in terms of
their income-to-needs ratio and class status, than married mothers
their age. Furthermore, among the three groups of mothers, single
mothers aged 20 and older were the most likely to use welfare
in the year before and the year after a birth...(more) The out-of-wedlock birthrate among teenagers has declined in recent years, but it continues to rise among women 20 and older. By 2003, three out of every four unwed births were to women aged 20 and older (National Center for Health Statistics, 2005). A 1998 paper studied the economic status of this large but sometimes overlooked group of mothers. Researchers considered 2,613 births to 1,615 women between 1980 and 1990. They examined the economic status-as measured by the income-to-needs ratio, poverty-class status (poor or middle class), and welfare usage-of the mothers in the year before and the year after birth. They found striking similarities in the income measures of the non-teenage (“older”) single mothers and the teenage mothers. However, among the older women, they found significant differences between the married and single mothers. For example, 36 percent of the older single mothers, but only 5 percent of the older married mothers were poor. Older single mothers also were the most likely to be on welfare. In the sample, 59 percent of the older single mothers received welfare in the year after birth, compared to 41 percent of the teenage mothers and just 9 percent of the older married mothers. These findings suggest that non-martial childbearing at any age, including among 20- and 30-somethings, creates financial hardships for mothers and their families. |
Other
findings:
 Married mothers fare better than single or cohabiting mothers in a number of ways...(more) Family economic resources have a stronger preventative effect on out-of-wedlock childbearing for younger women...(more) Family Research Experts:
Pat Fagan William H. G. FitzGerald Research Fellow in Family and Cultural Issues Christine Kim Policy Analyst, Domestic Policy Studies Jennifer Marshall Director, Domestic Policy Studies For Interviews call Media Relations at (202) 675-1761 |
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| The Heritage Foundation's familyfacts.org catalogs social science findings on the family, society and religion gleaned from peer-reviewed journals, books and government surveys. Serving policymakers, journalists, scholars and the general public, familyfacts.org makes social science research easily accessible to the non-specialist. | ||
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Resources
Events:Religious Practice and Civic Life: What the Research Says October 4, 2007 |