Celeb Single Moms Setting Bad Example?

One Expert Says They May Be, As More And More Stars Join Club

(CBS)  What's up with Hollywood and the baby bump?

Jessica Alba is pregnant. The 26-year-old is due this summer.

And, just like a lot of the other A-list celebrities who've given birth, announced pregnancies or adopted recently, Alba isn't married.

As Early Show national correspondent Hattie Kauffman noted Thursday, many other stars are choosing to forgo the walk down the aisle but opt for having a child, anyhow.

Susan Sarandon never wed her partner, Tim Robbins. Goldie Hawn never said "I do" to Kurt Russell. Sharon Stone adopted three children, two after she got divorced. A single Meg Ryan also adopted. And Oscar-winner Halle Berry isn't waiting for wedding bells. Her baby is due in February.

Young stars such as Alba and Nicole Richie embracing unmarried motherhood seem to be part of, and perhaps leading a trend.

The National Center for Health Statistics shows childbearing for single moms reached a record high in 2006.

And Diane Debrovner, Senior Editor of Parents magazine, says stars having kids out of wedlock makes it seem glamorous.

"I think," Debrovner told Early Show co-anchor Julie Chen Thursday, "because of our media obsession with celebrities and their every move ... they set the bar at what is sort of socially acceptable and fashionable in many ways."

She says she's sure that makes it more likely the average woman will look at the single celebrities and say, "If they can do it, why can't I?"

"The rate of births out of wedlock is higher than ever," Debrovner observed. "I don't know if celebrities are the main reason fueling that trend. But I think that the media make us feel that, if celebrities can do something, that that's something we should aspire to.

"And, absolutely, their life is very different than the average woman. And I hope that people remember that when they see these stories in the news.

"They have resources that most women don't have. They probably have a team of nannies waiting in the wings and a personal trainer at home.

"There are millions of wonderful single parents in this country and their children can thrive. But the reality is that, logistically and emotionally and financially, it's much more difficult to be a single parent than a parent with a partner."

Why is the number of single moms rising?

"I think that there are more women who are focusing on their careers and have not met the right man, for whatever reason, and their biological clocks are ticking," Debrovner replied, "and they decided this is an experience they don't want to miss, and they are making the decision to have a child on their own. There are celebrity examples of that. ... They have the resources to make that easier for them. That's a decision that more women are making now."

[ki8911]

If a woman, celebrity or not, has the financial wherewithal to have a child without the benefit(?) of a husband, go for it. Getting married and having kids is not the ultimate. Look how many times folks do get married and divorced, the mother & the kids get the short end of the stick emotionally and financially. But if the woman is already financially secure, hasn''t found any man that can be a true partner, and wants to have children, more power to them. Marriage is an outdated institution anyway. It harkens back to women and children being the property of men.

[sorrysorry-2009]

This article is a bunch of crappola. I never realized CBS belongs to the right-wing republican party. What''s next? An article about how women should quit working outside the home and solely focus on their kids? An article about how marriage should be their ultimate goal???

Get real, CBS, and understand that marriage is not what keeps people together! Marriage is NOT what makes people good parents. LOVE is. And LOVE does not equal marriage.

[misssuzq]

Getting married out of wedlock appears to be an accidnet, and I think that is not fair to the children to feel that is how their life began.

[misssuzq]

I am sorry - having children out of wedlock is what I meant.

[rkb50]

This article has some merit in that not every single woman should have a child out of wedlock if they are aspiring to a celebrity lifestyle, but i do agree with ki8911 ... you said it all very well.

[standlee5]

What a terrible thing to raise a child without a father. Society should make it clear that children need fathers not just mothers.

[mitywhity]

Celebrity ******. How wonderful.

[otdky07]

I''m sorry, but anybody who can glorify children out of wedlock is an idiot. The word *** used to actually mean something other than "that poor ***...". It is disgraceful how many kids don''t know who their fathers are. Male who can''t keep it in their pants feel no obligation to these kids, and guess what, the cycle continues at an alarming rate. You feminists obviously take pride in being ***. I''m sure you support gay marriage too. Let all the illegals in here while you''re at it.

[brianbwb-2009]

The end result is an adult able to contribute positively to society, as well as himself and his loved ones.

The question of single parenthood is a non issue, only important to the dogmatic Christian hypocrites.

[lil_d3vil]

When morality left America is it any wonder?
and sorry I''m not of the Christian faith.

[grace600]

Yes, celeb single moms are setting a bad example.

And the people they''re setting a bad example for are not single women in their 30''s or 40''s who are emotionally mature and financially secure who may decide to become a single parent, but rather younger girls who think "oh wow it''d be like so awesome to have a cute baby like fill in the blank with their favorite celeb single mom''s name" These girls have no education, no money, no job, no resources and NO parenting skills.

There was a time when Hollywood, as well as most of polite society, shunned out-of-wedlock pregnancies....and I think things were better off that way!