The Decline of Marriage

The Decline of Marriage and the Rise of Unwed Mothers: An Economic Mystery

The real mystery here isn't "Why so many babies?" The real mystery is "Why so few marriages?" And we have an answer.

Reuters

This was the most shocking statistic I read this weekend: 58 percent of first births in lower-middle-class households are now to unmarried women. Meanwhile, two in five of all births are to unwed mothers, an all-time high, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Why?

The thesis of this fascinating article in the Wall Street Journal says the real mystery here isn't "Why so many babies?" but rather "Why so few marriages?" -- particularly among less-educated men and women.

Excellent article in the Atlantic.  

Click to read the article