More Pennsylvania women over 40 choosing solo motherhood
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A small but fast-growing share of Pennsylvania women are choosing solo motherhood later in life.
Why it matters: Births to unmarried women 40 and older have doubled since 2007 as more Americans rethink when and how to build their families.
By the numbers: In Pennsylvania, 1.1% of babies born in 2024 (1,395) were to unmarried women 40 and older, per CDC data — up from 0.49% (738) recorded in 2007, despite an overall decline in statewide births.
Yes, but: "Unmarried women" can include cohabitating couples.
The big picture: In the U.S., more than 1% of babies were born to unmarried women 40 and older in 2024.
- Overall, about 40% of babies are born to unmarried women.
Between the lines: When the international Single Mothers by Choice (SMC) support group was formed in 1981, adoption accounted for a larger share of members' paths to parenthood, says SMC director Kat Curtin — at a time when choosing to become a single mother was more widely stigmatized.
- Now, "there's more of a societal acceptance toward different family units, [including] single-parent households," she says. Many of their members are having children via fertility treatments, she added.
Reality check: Access to IVF and child care is still heavily income-dependent — and pregnancy isn't a guarantee even for women who freeze their eggs at a younger age.