Looking for Mr. Right? Older single women who become mothers.

Abstract

"Between 1982 and 1992, the birthrate doubled among never married college-educated [U.S.] women and almost tripled among never married women who work in a professional or managerial capacity. This research examines why older, single women want to become mothers and how their premotherhood motivation and experience compare to those of married mothers. A snowball sampling technique was used to recruit 51 women who were single when they became mothers and 51 demographically similar married mothers....The composite picture that emerged from the single mothers was one of ambivalence toward marriage--a combination of an idealized image of what marriage should be with an unwilligness to accept compromise as an essential relationship strategy. Older, single women who become mothers are contributing to the trend in American society toward an increasing separation of marriage and childbearing."