THE DIVORCE OF MARRIAGE AND CHILDBEARING - CHANGING ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIOR IN THE UNITED-STATES

The past 25 years have witnessed large-scale changes in the structure of American families. One of the most dramatic transformations has bee n the increasing separation of marriage and childbearing. One-quarter of all births now occur outside of marriage. Given that nonmarital fer tility has historically been considered a social problem, how have Ame ricans reacted to its increasing prevalence? Using data from four cros s-sectional surveys undertaken between 1974 and 1989, the authors docu ment that attitudes toward births outside of a marital relationship be came increasingly permissive. They examine the social and demographic correlates of these attitudes and find that the structure of the deter minants has not changed over time. The shift in attitudes was pervasiv e across social groups. They also present evidence on a concomitant ch ange in attitudes toward a new gender-role orientation within two-pare nt families.