This weekend, people across the US will celebrate their mothers on Mother’s Day.
Since it was established as a holiday in 1914, Mother’s Day in America has taken place on the second Sunday of May and is typically marked with flowers, gifts and breakfast in bed.
While this year’s celebration on Sunday 10 May may look slightly different as a result of social distancing precautions, with Zoom expected to replace brunch, the opportunity to celebrate mothers is more important than ever as they take on the roles of teachers and daycare workers amid lockdown.
Ahead of Mother’s Day, these are some interesting facts to know about mothers in the US.
Nearly one-in-four mothers are raising their children on their own
According to the Pew Research Center, 24 per cent of US mothers are single parents, with research finding “about 9m mothers are living with a child younger than 18 without a spouse or partner”.
Single motherhood is most common among black mothers, accounting for 56 per cent, while 26 per cent of Hispanic mothers, 17 per cent of white mothers and nine per cent of Asian mothers are solo parents.
Alternatively, only seven per cent of fathers are raising a child without a spouse or partner.
In 2018, mothers in the US gave birth to 3,791,712 children
The same year, the mean age of mothers at first birth was 26.9 years, according to the CDC’s National Vital Statistics Report.
The majority of women aged 40 to 44 who have earned a PhD have also given birth
In 2014, 80 per cent of women aged 40 to 44 with a PhD or professional degree had given birth, according to the Pew Research Center, up from 65 per cent in 1994.
Mothers are spending more time in the workforce – and on childcare duties
In 2016, mothers spent roughly 25 hours a week on paid work, up from nine hours in 1965, Pew researchers found.
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First-time mum: Sophie Mackay, 37, is mother of six-month-old Victor
Jason Alden
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Experienced hand: Kathy Kielty, 46, is mother of Hannah, 13, Joey, nine, and Peter, six
Jason Alden
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Empty-nester: Joan Healy, 56, is mother of Cormac, 21, and Soracha, 18
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Grandmother: Patricia Onions, 62, is mother of James, 37, Edward, 34, Anna, 32, Raychel, 25, and Elisabeth, 21
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The widow: Gretta McGuinness, 74, lives in East Kilbride. She is the mother of Clare, 54, Jacqueline, 51, Caroline, 49, and Lorraine, 45
Martin Hunter
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The older grandmother: Brenda Savage, 81, lives near Sheffield. She is mother to Eric, 56, Stephen, 54, and Stuart, 51
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The 93-year-old mother: Mary Clough lives near Halifax. She is mother to Kathleen, 67, and Duncan, 61
Asadour Guzelian
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First-time mum: Sophie Mackay, 37, is mother of six-month-old Victor
Jason Alden
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Experienced hand: Kathy Kielty, 46, is mother of Hannah, 13, Joey, nine, and Peter, six
Jason Alden
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Empty-nester: Joan Healy, 56, is mother of Cormac, 21, and Soracha, 18
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Grandmother: Patricia Onions, 62, is mother of James, 37, Edward, 34, Anna, 32, Raychel, 25, and Elisabeth, 21
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The widow: Gretta McGuinness, 74, lives in East Kilbride. She is the mother of Clare, 54, Jacqueline, 51, Caroline, 49, and Lorraine, 45
Martin Hunter
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The older grandmother: Brenda Savage, 81, lives near Sheffield. She is mother to Eric, 56, Stephen, 54, and Stuart, 51
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The 93-year-old mother: Mary Clough lives near Halifax. She is mother to Kathleen, 67, and Duncan, 61
Asadour Guzelian
During the same time, mothers spent 14 hours a week on child care – up from 10 hours a week in 1965.
Mothers are the primary breadwinners in four-in-10 US families
In 1960, only 11 per cent of households were led by breadwinner moms, according to Pew researchers.
Of the 13.7m mothers who were found to be their household’s primary breadwinner in 2011, 8.6m were single women while 5.1m were married and made more than their husbands.
1/10 ‘Making a decision to have a child–it’s momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body’
Elizabeth Stone
2/10 ‘I think as mothers we are all just trying our best’
Gisele Bundchen
3/10 ‘The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness.’
Honore De Balzac
4/10 ‘God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers’
Jewish proverb
5/10 ‘All mothers are working mothers’
Anon
6/10 ‘A mother is one to whom you hurry when you are troubled’
Emily Dickinson
7/10 ‘Mothers are the people who love us for no good reason. And those of us who are mothers know it’s the most exquisite love of all’
Maggie Gallagher
8/10 ‘Biology is the least of what makes someone a mother’
Oprah Winfrey
9/10 ‘Sweater, n.: garment worn by child when its mother is feeling chilly’
Ambrose Pierce
10/10 ‘Mother love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible’
Marion C. Garretty
1/10 ‘Making a decision to have a child–it’s momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body’
Elizabeth Stone
2/10 ‘I think as mothers we are all just trying our best’
Gisele Bundchen
3/10 ‘The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness.’
Honore De Balzac
4/10 ‘God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers’
Jewish proverb
5/10 ‘All mothers are working mothers’
Anon
6/10 ‘A mother is one to whom you hurry when you are troubled’
Emily Dickinson
7/10 ‘Mothers are the people who love us for no good reason. And those of us who are mothers know it’s the most exquisite love of all’
Maggie Gallagher
8/10 ‘Biology is the least of what makes someone a mother’
Oprah Winfrey
9/10 ‘Sweater, n.: garment worn by child when its mother is feeling chilly’
Ambrose Pierce
10/10 ‘Mother love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible’
Marion C. Garretty
In 2015, Pew researchers found that in 46 per cent of households with a mother and father, both parents were employed full time – up from 31 per cent in 1970.
Even when working full-time, mothers make only 71 cents for every dollar paid to fathers
According to a National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) analysis of Census data in 2918, mothers in the workforce lose $16,000 annually because of the motherhood wage gap – which exists in every state.
