According to a new study, American women are not only having children later, there of fewer of them getting married, while the percentage of teenage mothers has declined in the past two decades.

In 1990, only 9% of women 35 years and above gave birth, while it was 13% for adolescents, however, the numbers shifted by 2008 when 10% of teenagers gave birth compared to 14% of older women.

According to the Pew Research Centre report, the demography of motherhood in the United States has changed dramatically in the last 20 years.

Another significant change has been the rise in unmarried women giving birth i. e. a record 41%, up from 28% in 1990.

There has been a rise in unmarried women giving birth in both the white and Hispanic women.

As well, compared to two decades ago, mothers are also better educated these days, with over half of the mothers who gave birth in 2006 having some kind of college education, a 41% increase since 1990.

The percentage was even higher at 71% amongst mothers 35 years and older.

In the past 20 years, there has been a major alteration in attitudes, with the stigma of unmarried parenthood softening and most Americans marrying later in life.

However, two still remains the ideal number for having children in a family, which has not changed since the 1970’s when many couples started families, because of the joy of having children.