unwed mother

mother, woman, head of household, single parent. Or use, if necessary and appropriate, unmarried parents. The term "unwed mother" disregards the also unwed (at least to this woman) father. In addition to not getting the label, the father also avoids getting the child, the poverty, and the social disapproval. According to an overheard radio news item, "More women than ever before are living with men without being married to them. And more unmarried women than ever before are having babies." Why not: "More men and women than ever before are living together without being married. And more unmarried couples than ever before are having babies." If it's not possible to speak of "parents" (perhaps because the father is no longer in the picture), at least do not linguistically stigmatize the woman who has accepted the consequences of her actions. An "unwed father" shows no external signs of his fatherhood—and thus does not make a good target for censure. Unwed mothers and their children, on the other hand, are all too visible.