New mothers in the U.S. are increasingly older and better educated than they were two decades ago, according to a study on the state of American motherhood released Thursday by the Pew Research Center. The number of unwed mothers has risen sharply in the United States, so that about four out of every 10 births are to unmarried women, which includes most births to women in their early 20s. One in seven babies -- or 14 percent of a total of about 4 million births -- were born to older mothers in 2008. The average age at which women have their first child is 25, a year older than in 1990. Between 1990 and 2008, the number of births to mothers older than 35 leapt from 368,000 to 603,000. When asked why they decided to have their first child, 87 percent of the parents in the Pew survey answered, "The joy of having children." For nearly half of parents, though, an important explanation is: "It wasn't a decision; it just happened." Women surveyed were more likely than men to cite "it just happened" as somewhat or very important in their decision to give birth the first time.
– For the first time, the number of babies born to women over 35 exceeds the number being born to teens, reports the Pew Research Center. Of 2008's 4 million births, one in seven were to older mothers, while one in 10 were to teens. The new, slightly older face of the American mom reflects changes in fertility science, a move toward later marriage, and changing attitudes about childbearing, the Washington Post notes. And the new mom isn't just older, she's also better educated—54% of all new moms, and 71% of the over-35 crowd, have had some college education—and more likely to be unmarried. Some 41% are unwed, up from 28% in 1990. Interestingly, women don't appear to be timing their pregnancies too carefully: About half of the women surveyed said motherhood "just happened," notes the AP. (Click here for a list of celebs who didn't plan on getting pregnant, either.)