Unmarried Fathers and the Mores: "Sexual Exploiter" as an Ex Post Facto Label

This paper attempts to clarify the normative content of the label as applied to the unmarried father. Age and educational differences between 201 white unmarried fatherunwed mother pairs are examined and interpreted as approximating age and educational differences between white husband-wife pairs in the general population. The term sexual exploiter is interpreted as an ex post facto label which serves to support traditional values in mate-selection and marriage, but which also serves to impede research in illegitimacy when accepted at face value.