Monday, October 31, 2005

More Children Born out of Wedlock

Citing federal data from the National Center for Health Statistics, Sharon Jayson, USA Today reports that the number of children born out of wedlock hit a record 1.4 million last year (35.7% of all births.) 55% of the out of wedlock births were to women aged 20-24 and 28% were to women aged 25-29. Teenaged girls accounted for 24% of the out of wedlock births .

From 2002 to 2004, the illegitimate birth rate for women 25-29 increased by 14%. It is not known how many of these births were to single or cohabitating mothers. Birth rates for older women appear to be rising.

No information was given for abortion rates.

No comments: