Number of unmarried mothers in Oklahoma County on the rise

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ A new study reveals that unmarried women in Oklahoma County are having children at a much greater rate than married women. <br/><br/>The study by United Way of Central Oklahoma also

Tuesday, November 16th 2004, 5:37 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ A new study reveals that unmarried women in Oklahoma County are having children at a much greater rate than married women.

The study by United Way of Central Oklahoma also says unwed mothers have less education and more economic hardship than their married counterparts.

Economist Craig Knutson looked at birth and education trends of Oklahoma County women who have given birth in the past decade. The results suggest women with high education levels have fewer children but their children are healthier and better prepared for school.

The study found that the rate of births between 1993 and 2003 rose dramatically for unmarried women, who had 40.4 percent more births.

The increase was 3.2 percent for married women, who were responsible for 58 percent of the total annual births.