Description:
Over the last 50 years the life courses of young people and their family formation behavior have undergone dramatic changes. Childbearing outside marriage, whether to single mothers or cohabiters, is one of the most prominent indicators of this process. This study outlines the development of childbearing outside of marriage in Europe since the 1960s. Changes in women‘s role in society are identified as the key factor driving this development. Utilizing the full potential of multi-level modeling the study finds that parents' decision making is mediated by country specific welfare arrangements. In particular, the degree to which women can utilize their socioeconomic resources in the labor market plays a key role in the decision whether or not to marry the father of their child.