WASHINGTON, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- While more than one-third of the women who had children in one recent year were unmarried, many had a partner, the U.S. Census Bureau said Thursday.
In a report, "Fertility of American Women: 2008," statisticians said 1.5 million of the 4 million women who gave birth between June 2007 and June 2008 were single. But 28 percent of the single moms were in cohabiting relationships and others were separated from their husbands or had spouses who were absent from the home for other reasons.
Jane Dye, a demographer who wrote the report, said it is the first time the bureau has provided data on women who are cohabiting.
"The report shows that many unmarried new moms are not raising their child alone," she said.
Fertility levels have dropped sharply since the Census Bureau began collecting data in 1976. In 2008, women ages 40 to 44 had given birth to an average of 1.9 children, down from 3.1 in 1976.
