Recently, a study performed by the National Marriage Project found that 44% of American high school graduates who don't have college degrees have children born outside of marriage. That number has tripled since the '70s. Around half of those 44% are couples who are living together. Marriage is no longer a prerequisite for having children. And the social stigma of a child born out-of-wedlock as completely vanished. And we're not talking teen mothers; half of those non-marital births were to couples living together. The trend is living together and having children without the legalities of marriage.
These statistics are best exemplified by Andrew Felices, 26, and Mellissa Giles, 27, who are quickly becoming the "new face of the American Family." Andrew and Mellissa are part of a huge shift. Many are in their 20s or 30s and, like Mellissa and Andrew, welcome a child. But marriage?
"A lot of people, I think, see marriage as a piece of paper," says Mellissa. "A piece of paper that costs a lot of money to change." She laughs and explains that she means divorce. The trend of 'babies without marriage' in American culture makes it more acceptable than ever to have children outside of an intact marriage, but researchers found that unmarried parents are more likely to split-up by the time their child is five years old.
Brad Wilcox, who heads the National Marriage Project, says that for three decades, the concept of marriage before children has been steadily changing. Since the 1960s, Wilcox notes, there's been concern about the breakdown of family among the poor and African-Americans. "What's happened now," he says, "is that retreat from marriage has moved up the social ladder into the heart of American life, into Middle America."
If you are an unmarried parent and need assistance with creating a parenting plan or need help in establishing your parental rights, please call Ocala Divorce and Family Law attorney at the Law Office of Anne E. Raduns, PA to find out how we can help. We employ a client based approach, which means that we are selective in the cases we take so that we can be available to our clients. We spend time with you to thoroughly understand the facts of your case, so that we can provide you with a comprehensive and realistic legal evaluation. Our process begins with a half-hour low-cost consultation. Call for your consultation today.
