Layout 1

The Changing Face of theAmerican Family: Modern History

Birth Rate

Figure3.4showstheoveralldeclinein
birthrate,whileFigure3.5illustratesthe
numberof birthstoadolescents.Figure3.6
comparesthebirthrateamongallfemales
between1990and2005byraceandethnic
group.In2003,slightlyunderathirdof all
birthsintheUnitedStateswereto
unmarriedwomen,risingfrom5.3%in
1960to32.2%in2003(Ventura&
Bachrach,2000;Hamilton,Martin,&
Sutton,2004).In2003,68.5%of birthsto
African-Americanmothersweretosingle
mothers,and45%of birthstoHispanic
womenoccurredoutsideof marriage,

comparedwith23.5%forwhitewomen

(Hamilton,Martin,&Sutton,2004).The

implicationsof single-parentfamilieswill

bediscussedinalaterchapter.

The picture for teen births has

improved (see Figure 3.5).According to

Child Trends Data Bank,teen birth rates

have been declining for the past decade;

the preliminary 2004 birth rate for teens

ages 15 to 19 is the lowest rate ever

reported in the United States,at 41 births

per 1,000 (Facts at a Glance,2007).After

an increase in the teen birth rate in the

late 1980s,the birth rate for adolescent

females has declined steadily since 1991.

However,rates among Hispanic teens

Births to 15–18 Year Olds by Race and Hispanic Origin per 1000 Females

Figure 3.5

Source:Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics 2007.

Black

Hispanic

AllRaces

White

115

111

107

103

99

95

91

87

83

79

75

71

67

63

59

55

51

47

43

39

35

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

97.895.4

112.8

100.3 99.3

94.4

87.3

71.8

66.6 63.8

62.9

(^43) 41.6 41.2
47.7 45.3
56
59.9
(^5351)
45.4 43.3
50.8 49.5
43.2 41.2
39.4 38.3 37.8
86.4 83.4
82.3 82.6
Year
Number of Births
77.4