1,304,594 births to unmarried women in 1999

The National Center for Health Statistics reported that out-of-wedlock child-bearing has leveled off or slowed down in 1999. But in almost every single year between 1940 and 1999 the number of births to unmarried women increased. In 1999, more than 1.3 million children were born to unmarried women. A review is provided of these developments through the end of the 1990s, together with 1) the economics of single parenthood,2) the reality that increasing numbers of these new mothers ar in the general workforce and 3) the added impact of youngsters with mental retardation and other disabilities on single parent families.