Rather than a teen issue, the majority of unwed childbearing is a result of the breakdown of marriage relationships among young men and women in lower-income communities.
The majority of all births in the United States to women under age 30 are to single mothers, a 56 percent increase since 1990. The majority of these are to women with a high school diploma or less.
The increase in unwed births has occurred in all racial groups, where rates currently stand at 29 percent for whites, 53.3 percent for Hispanics, and 72.5 percent for African Americans.
The Foundry article notes children born out of wedlock are much more likely to be poor, to live on welfare, and to be involved in a variety of negative outcomes (violence, drugs, prison, etc.).
