The American Family: Postponing Parenthood

Homeownership is the largest source of wealth for most American families, and obtaining a safe, traditional 15-to-30-year mortgage is a key step toward achieving financial security. But outdated housing policies and financial regulations have made small mortgages—those for homes priced under $150,000—expensive for lenders and unavailable for millions of qualified and creditworthy borrowers, especially Black, Hispanic, and Indigenous households and those in rural communities. With limited access to small mortgages, many of these families turn to alternative financing arrangements, which often involve financial risks and lack many of the protections traditional mortgages offer.

Stat: 86. The percentage of women ages 40-44 who are mothers, compared with 80 percent in 2006, according to a Pew Research Center analysis.

Story:  American women are waiting longer to have children—but are more likely to have kids than they were a decade ago. Also, 1 in 4 parents living with a child is not married. In this episode, a Pew researcher explains the data behind this change in the American family, and we meet two moms who share why they waited.

Related resources:

• They’re Waiting Longer, but U.S. Women Today More Likely to Have Children Than a Decade Ago
• The Changing Profile of Unmarried Parents
• Middle children have become rarer, but a growing share of Americans now say three or more kids are ‘ideal’
• 7 Facts About U.S. Moms
• More Moms