Mothers and Multiple Partners

The convergence of several societal factors has caused an increase in the number and percentage of mothers who bear children with more than one man. Currently, more than 25 percent of all American mothers have children with multiple partners, and more than a third of urban mothers do so. Statistically, multipartner fertility can be associated with numerous disadvantages for both the children and the mother. It also tends to co-occur with several other factors that are often detrimental to mothers and children. As a result, there is significant social policy discussion regarding ways to reduce multipartner fertility along with its associated factors.

The Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, sponsored by the Administration for Children and Families, studied 4,900 children born between 1998 and 2000, then revisited this cohort at the one- and three-year point. The study found that fertility with multiple partners was found to be associated with several other societal factors, including childbirth outside of marriage, poverty, lack of a committed relationship between the partners, and teenage pregnancy.

Unmarried childbirth is a very strong factor, because it has increased so significantly, from 4 percent in 1940 to 36 percent in 2004. Urban mothers are far more likely to bear children with more than one man, as are minority mothers and mothers with lower education levels. Odds are also increased if the mother has a higher total number of children or if the father is of poor health or has been incarcerated. Women who were still living with their parents are less likely to have children with multiple partners, as are women who attend church.

The one-year follow-up study revealed that 59 percent of the unmarried couples had already had another child with another partner, and 21 percent of the married couples had at least one child from another partner. The study also showed that urban women are having first babies sooner, having a baby with a second partner sooner, and are having babies with more partners. The follow-up portion also showed a feedback loop: couples were less likely to commit to each other if either of them had a child from a previous relationship.