A new report from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that more women had their first child while living with an unmarried partner in the early 2020s compared to the early 1990s. The report, titled “Women’s Living Arrangements at First Birth,” examines how women’s marital and cohabitation status at the time of their first birth has changed over time, focusing on differences by education level, race, and ethnicity.
The findings indicate that fewer women had their first child while neither married nor living with a partner in 2020-2024 than in 1990-1994.
Education appears to play a significant role in these trends. Among first-time mothers with at least a bachelor’s degree, the percentage who were married increased from 74.4% in 1990-1994 to 84.5% in 2020-2024. The share of these mothers who were neither married nor living with a partner dropped from 14.4% to 4.4% over the same period.
For women without a bachelor’s degree, the proportion who were married at their first birth declined from 58.6% to 40.6%. At the same time, cohabitation among this group rose from 19.2% to 34.8%.
The report also highlights differences by race and ethnicity. In the early 1990s, Asian women were most likely to be married at first birth (81.7%), followed by White (71.8%), Hispanic (61.2%), and Black (31.5%) mothers.
By the early 2020s, there was a notable decrease in marriage rates among Hispanic first-time mothers, dropping to 43.9%. However, for Asian, White, or Black mothers, there was no statistically significant change in marital status at first birth during this period.
Cohabitation increased among White and Hispanic mothers as well: for White mothers it rose from 14.5% to 20.2%, and for Hispanic mothers it went up from 20.4% to 34%.
More details about these trends can be found through resources such as the Current Population Survey June Fertility Supplement File and America Counts.
“There is no news release associated with this product,” according to information provided by the U.S. Census Bureau.
