The birth rate for unmarried women increased more than six times between 1940 and 1990, from 7.1 births per 1,000 unmarried women to 43.8 births. This was due in part to a change in the overall size of the population, which swelled during the postwar baby boom, and the fact that women and men began postponing marriage from the mid-1960s, a trend that shows no sign of abating. National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics Reports, vol. 16, Oct. 18, 2000.
Data are preliminary.
Figures are based on weighted data rounded to the nearest individual. National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics Reports, vol. 16, Oct. 18, 2000.