Rise in Illegitimacy

Archive Report

Illegitimacy and Public Assistance

An Alarming Increase of pregnancies among unmarried girls and women is disturbing parents, social workers, and others and forcing earnest consideration of corrective measures. Two aspects of the question have aroused special concern: (1) A rise in the proportion of public assistance funds devoted to the support of illegitimate children; and (2) growth in the number of teen-age girls from presumably good homes who are becoming pregnant before marriage. In the first case, society is put in the position of appearing to subsidize immoral conduct; in the second, disciplinary controls traditionally applied by family and church appear to have lost the respect they once commanded.

Suggestions for dealing with the problem range all the way from more sex teaching in the schools1 ...

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