The social stigma surrounding unwed mothers and their
illegitimate babies was widespread in the past. A social stigma also followed the illegitimate children, even
though their illegitimacy was through no fault of their own. Since there was no
child family law to help these illegitimate children in any way, they were at a
greater risk for health problems.
Unwed
mothers often lived in poverty due to the lack of a breadwinner in the home.
The jobs that were available to them left them with limited time to spend with
their children.
Some of these issues are still prevalent today. Unwed
mothers are still more likely than others to live in poverty, and the amount of time they must spend working to
support their children leaves them with
a limited amount of time to spend with them.
Due to the explosion of babies born to unwed mothers, the prejudice that they
have faced has been disintegrating for the past three
decades. Family law courts handle millions of cases involving unwed mothers and
child family law now has the power to protect both children born to unwed
parents or into wedlock.
