More than half of the babies born in Wales this year will be to unmarried parents. The same is true in the north part of England. Britain as a whole is likely to pass the 50% threshold within a decade if present trends continue.
In the U.S. we worry because more than a third of all births are to unmarried parents. To see that the illegitimacy rate in the Mother Country is much worse, and about to pass a tipping point, is, in a way, comforting.
I think the crucial difference between Britain and U.S. that affects birth rates is that we are a much more religious people. While it is certainly true that religiosity does not grant any family immunity from out-of-wedlock births, it does make marriage before babies more likely. How much more likely? Looking at these figures, about a fifth more likely.
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2 comments:
100% of Welsh babies are precious in God's sight. The parents made problematic choices, not the kids.
In my house, anyone who uses the word "illegitimate" can expect a vigorous challenge. Every time they say it.
The point of the time-honored word Bastard was never to punish the child (although it certainly did) -- but to stigmatize his parents. Stigma matters -- it helps the rest of society make less "problematic" decisions by pointing directly at shameful examples.
I miss stigma.
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