Trend in births indicate new family values

An ob/gyn nurse I know told me recently that she sees a lot of cases of unwed mothers at Providence Alaska Medical Center where she works. "It's very common," she said.
How common in Alaska? I'm not sure, but the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics issued a report last week that shows nearly four out of 10 births are to unwed mothers nationwide.
Childbearing by unwed mothers has continued a climb this decade. There are lots of interesting nuggets to dig out of the report, but one of the most interesting is that it's not just teenagers who are giving birth outside of wedlock. While it's true that most births to teenagers (86 percent in 2007 were nonmarital) among women 20-24 nearly 60 percent of the births were to unwed mothers. Nearly one-third of births to women 25-29 were also out of marriage in the study period.
What this indicates is a willingness for single women to have children by themselves and probably an underreporting of the births to couples who are not married.
The United States is slower, but it is following trends in Europe, especially Scandinavia. More than half of recent births to Icelandic, Swedish, and Norwegian women were nonmarital. Similar trends exist in France and Denmark, though Spain, Italy and Germany have lower rates.
What we're witnessing, if you will, is the Murphy Brown phenomenon. If you can recall back that far to the Candice Bergen-powered sitcom that Vice President Dan Qualye criticized the television character for celebrating her decision to have a child but not marry the father. It was actually 17 years ago today that he gave that speech. In it, he said Murphy Brown is someone "who supposedly epitomizes today's intelligent, highly paid professional woman," yet "mock[s] the importance of fathers by bearing a child alone and calling it just another lifestyle choice."
What do the trends mean for how we define family? What does it mean for how we define fatherhood? Are men marginalized if they do not marry the mother of their children? Can we raise a generation of healthy children when only one parent seems to be involved at birth?
The data show that children born to single mothers who are healthy and economically solid do fine. They have a lot fewer emotional problems than children who live with wedded parents who have a high-conflict marriage.
But isn't it better for children, and therefore for society, to have two active involved parents plus a multitude of aunts, uncles, grandparents and family friends who are also looking out for the child? That is simply not the case in our world.
I'll put myself out as a fan of marriage. I'm grateful that I have a husband who is involved in child care and is a supportive partner. It it making being a mom a much easier experience than if I were doing this alone. And the benefits go to our daughter, who is secure in the love of her parents. We're also fortunate that one grandparent lives in town and is another nurturer.
I don't know the statistics, but I'd bet a lot of the women who are having nonmarital births do not find themselves in such ideal circumstances, no matter if they are teenagers or single moms in their late 20s.