More women in their 40s are becoming mothers on their own. Unmarried women giving birth in that age group have doubled over the past two decades, Axios reported, citing CDC data. In 2024, more than 1 percent of U.S. babies were born to unmarried women ages 40 and older. Overall, about 40 percent of babies were born to unmarried women, though the category included some cohabiting couples. Kat Curtin, director of the international support group Single Mothers by Choice (SMC), said most members are pursuing fertility treatments and are in their “30s and 40-plus.” Many had “dated, come into their career, come into their life” before deciding to start families. “You don’t go down this path and be confident that you can raise a child by yourself unless you have a level of independence and resiliency,” she said. Adoption made up a larger share of members’ paths to parenthood when the group was established in 1981, Curtin said, adding that single motherhood then was often “stigmatized” and seen as “selfish.” Today, she said, there is “more of a societal acceptance towards different family units,” which includes “single-parent households.”
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