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- Title
Recent Trends and Differentials in Illegitimacy.
- Authors
Ventura, Stephanie J.
- Abstract
The steady increase in the annual number of illegitimate births since 1940 has led to a widespread public concern for the causes and consequences of illegitimacy. Trends and differentials in the incidence of illegitimacy since 1940 are described in this paper. The analysis is based principally on the illegitimacy rate, which is the number of illegitimate births per 1,000 unmarried women 15-44 years of age. This measure is particularly useful because it relates illegitimate births to the population at risk. All of the measures indicate that the prevalence of illegitimacy has increased over the past 26 years, but there have been several distinct intervals in this period. The illegitimacy rate, for example, nearly doubled from 1940 (7.1) to 1950 (14.1). The rate continued to rise rapidly until 1957 (21.0); since then it has risen only slightly and now appears to be declining. By 1966, the rate was 23.4, or only 11 percent higher than in 1957. The differences in illegitimacy between the white and nonwhite population are wide. Although the measures of illegitimacy have always been higher for the nonwhite than for the white population, this differential has been declining in recent years. Other important differentials in illegitimacy can be seen when the births are classified by age of mother and live-birth order. Socioeconomic status is considered an important factor in accounting for differentials in illegitimacy. Our inability to account satisfactorily for the increasing prevalence of illegitimacy or for the differentials in illegitimacy clearly demonstrates the need for more research.
- Subjects
CHILDREN of unmarried parents; BIRTHS to unmarried women; ILLEGITIMACY; UNMARRIED mothers; LEGITIMATION of children; CHILDBIRTH; SOCIAL status; FRAGILE families
- Publication
Journal of Marriage & Family, 1969, Vol 31, Issue 3, p446
- ISSN
0022-2445
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.2307/349764