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WASHINGTON, October 27, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The number of women at the end of their child-bearing years who have never had children has increased substantially according to a report released Friday by the U.S. Census Bureau.  About 18 percent of women ages 40 to 44 in 2002 had never had a child, compared with 10 percent in 1976. Women in the same age group, on average, had 1.9 children in 2002, considerably fewer than the 1976 average of 3.1 children.  The report also notes that thirty-three percent of all births in 2002 were to unmarried women, a proportion that was about the same in 1998. Eight percent (307,000) of all births were to women in cohabiting unions. Black women were more likely than Hispanic or non-Hispanic white women to have births out of wedlock   The report also suggests that more mothers are taking seriously studies that suggest staying home with infant children is very important for the best development for children.  “From 1998 to 2002, the overall labor force participation rate of mothers with infant children under age one decreased from 59 to 55 percent,” says the report.  “That’s the only recorded decline in labor force participation of mothers with infant children since the Census Bureau began calculating this measure in 1976.”  See the full report online at:  https://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/p20-548.pdf