HOW OLD ARE US FATHERS

One in every six U.S. birth certificates have no information on the ag e of the baby's father; for more than four in 10 babies born to adoles cent women, no data are available on the father's age. information fro m mothers aged 15-49 who had babies in 1988 and were surveyed in the N ational Maternal and Infant Health Survey indicates that fathers for w hom age is not reported on the birth certificate are considerably youn ger than other fathers. In 1988, 5% of fathers were under age 20, and 20% were aged 20-24. Fathers typically are older than mothers, especia lly when the mothers are teenagers. Fathers who are unmarried, black o r partners of lower income women are younger than other fathers.