In the 100 years since Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Mother’s Day a national holiday, mothers in the U.S. have changed. Here are some stats on mothers in honor of the 101st Mother’s Day.
1. Mom is having her first child later in life.
But the change is probably not as large as you think. In 2006, the average age of mothers at the birth of their first child was 25. In 1920, it was 23.
2. Mom is having fewer children overall.
In 1914, a mother had on average 3.6 children, and in 1960, it was slightly higher, at 3.7. By 2010, that number dropped to 1.9 children.
3. Mom is getting married later in life – if at all.
Having children out of wedlock in the early part of the 20th century was practically unheard of. By the middle of the century, it was still rare: only 5% of births were to unwed mothers. By 2010, that number rose dramatically to over 40%.
For married mothers, the age of women at marriage has increased, too. Now the average age for a woman to marry is 27. In 1915, it was 21.
4. Mom has a better chance of surviving childbirth (so does baby).
Although maternal death rates have been rising recently in the U.S., historically, they have decreased. The most recent statistics show that 18.5 women died per 100,000 births. In 1914, that number was 710.
Improved medical care before and during birth has helped lower that number. Women have also benefited from better pain management during childbirth. Over half of women in the U.S. giving birth today use an epidural, an anesthetic procedure that was not available to women in childbirth until the 1940’s.
As for baby, the odds of surviving birth and the first few years of life have also increased dramatically. In 1914, 177 per 1,000 babies and infants aged 0-5 died, compared to 7.4 in 2010.
5. Mom is not only working more, but is often the breadwinner.
Women working in the early 20th century usually gave up their jobs to start a family when they married. With the feminist movement in the 1960’s and 1970’s, that changed, and the number of mothers working outside the home exploded. In 1975, 47% of mothers were in the labor force; in 2012, 71% of mothers were working.
Not only that, but the number of households where mothers are either the sole or the primary breadwinner has increased, too, from 11% in 1960 to 40% in 2012.
