More women choosing single motherhood.

• Position: YOUR LIFE - Brief article

Higher rates of unmarried childbearing are tied in part to the growing incidence of women choosing single motherhood through adoption or donor insemination, according to a study released by the Pew Institute, Los Angeles. Using U.S. Census data and responses from a phone survey, researchers report that the rate of unmarried childbearing jumped from just over five percent in 1960 to almost 40% today.

Observers note that, since the 1980s, the number of Choice Moms (women deciding to have children without a partner) has increased, while their average age has decreased. Further, the decision to have at least two children has become more prevalent.

Choice Motherhood, which includes heterosexual and lesbian women, has developed into a national movement. Professional women seeking to have children without spouses or partners have created support networks for themselves which include newsletters, online discussion groups, blogs, and books focused on being a Choice Mom. Based on census data of unmarried women in their 30s giving birth, as well as the percentages of single women who adopt, roughly 50,000 women take this step each year.

"I'm finding that more women under 30 are becoming Choice Moms," says Mikki Morrissette, author of Choosing Single Motherhood; editor of the Voices of Donor Conception book series, and...