AMAND ROUTH, M.D., F.R.C.P., ON MOTHERHOOD. 59 



The Effects of Motherhood without Marriage. 

 Illegitimacy. 



Unmarried motherliood is not only wrong, but unnecessary. 

 Premarital continence in both sexes is consistent with normal 

 health, and is compatible with full physical and mental activities, 

 provided the child has been taught (1) that purity is a beautiful 

 ideal and impurity a sin, (2) that self-control over natural 

 instincts builds up character, (3) that the child and adolescent 

 be occupied by other activities involving physical exercise, and 

 mental excursions into such things as the useful acquirement 

 of domestic duties, artistic tastes, music, etc., and (4) be trained 

 for a career of usefulness and integrity. 



As a nation, we have to face the fact that about 40,000 children 

 are born annually in England and Wales by unmarried mothers. 



As a result of the great reduction of total births in England 

 and Wales, the proportion of illegitimate to total births, which 

 fell to a minimum of 3-95 per cent, in 1901-05, rose to 6-26 

 per cent, in 1918, the highest ratio reached during the last 

 fifty years. There has also been some increase of actual 

 illegitimacy from 37,157 in 1917 to 41,469 in 1918, and 41,876 

 in 1919, but the increased percentage proportion of illegitimate 

 to total births is mainly due to a lowered total birth rate. 



I have asked Dr. T. H. C. Stevenson, C.B.E., Superintendent 

 of Statistics at the General Register Office, if he can tell me what 

 is the probable ratio in England and Wales during the ten 

 years 1911-20 between unmarried and married mothers, and he 

 tells me that the ratio would be about 10 per cent. He assumes 

 that about 75 per cent, of the unmarried mothers would (whilst 

 still unmarried) have only one child each during the ten years, 

 whilst the majority of married women during the same years 

 may be assumed to have had 2-07 children each. Of course, 

 this ratio is not a proved one, but Dr. Stevenson has come to 

 this conclusion after making every allowance for possible errors. 

 About one in ten mothers in England and Wales are unmarried. 

 This should make us think. 



Unmarried mothers are not now treated with the severity 

 and ignorance which was the attitude adopted fifty years ago. 

 The modern proposal that a child born out of wedlock should 

 become legitimatized by the subsequent marriage of its parents 

 would not have been tolerated or even discussed then. This 

 proposal is not yet adopted, and has its own difficulties to remove 



