Out-of-Wedlock Births:Possible Explanations Welfare for single mothers made single motherhood more viable Increasing acceptability of non-marriage equivalents A surplus of women on the marriage market relative to the past Because women now hardly ever die in childbirth In 1900,~1 of births resulted in death for the mother,and women had a lot of children In a richer world,more women who didn't want a husband could do without oneOut-of-Wedlock Births: Possible Explanations • Welfare for single mothers made single motherhood more viable • Increasing acceptability of non-marriage equivalents • A surplus of women on the marriage market relative to the past • Because women now hardly ever die in childbirth • In 1900, ~1 % of births resulted in death for the mother, and women had a lot of children • In a richer world, more women who didn’t want a husband could do without one