Louisiana Has Highest Percentage of Births to Non-Married Mothers
Louisiana is number one, when it comes to births to non-married mothers.
According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, 48.7% of all births in Louisiana were to non-married mothers.
LSU sociology professor Troy Blanchard says it could be a few reasons:
- National de-coupling of child birth from marriage
- Women now having children much younger
- Louisiana women possibly delaying marriage until they meet the right partner
- Women might feel they can get by without getting married
- Society has grown less critical of unwed mothers than in the past
The city of Monroe is a hotbed for single moms: 62.5% of all births in 2011 were by non-married women.