In 2016, the share of babies born to unmarried mothers in the US fell below 40%, the first time it has been that low since 2007 while a rising share of kids are being born into two-parent homes. It isn’t just about the share of births to unmarried mothers that has declined. The absolute number of such births is falling. Since the recession, unmarried births have fallen, while births within wedlock have risen slightly.

According to Lyman Stone, a Research Fellow at the Institute for Family Studies, this is important for the child, as having two parents in the home is good for child outcomes, but also for adult parents, as being able to share childrearing and work reduces the economic and personal burdens of parenting.

Nonetheless, a deeper dive into the figures shows that unmarried childbearing is actually rising within each educational sub-group of US society. The society-wide move away from a married two-parent family norm is continuing: for each educational group, more kids are born outside of marriage.