Nonmarital Childbearing and Family Structure Among Asian Americans: The Role of Socioeconomic Status, Ethnicity, and Immigration

This study examines how maternal education shapes nonmarital childbearing and family structure among Asian Americans compared with non-Hispanic Whites. We also assess within-group variation by Asian ethnicity, generational status, and interracial marriage. Drawing on 2015–2019 natality data from the National Vital Statistics System and the 2013–2024 Current Population Survey Annual Socioeconomic Supplement, we find that Asian mothers, particularly South Asians, are significantly less likely than Whites to give birth outside of marriage and more likely to raise children in married, two-parent households. Also, educational gradients in these outcomes are weaker among Asians, especially among foreign-born and racially endogamous individuals, suggesting that immigrant selectivity and cultural norms moderate how socioeconomic status shapes family formation. In contrast, stronger educational differences emerge among native-born and interracially partnered Asians. These findings highlight the importance of subgroup diversity for understanding family inequality in an increasingly diverse US population.