b2718th

__**The Illegitimacy Explosion**__ 1750 started the illegitimacy explosion, which meant that many or even most of the babies born were to unmarried mothers. This was because fewer women were refraining from premarital sex. The cottage industry greatly impacted this because young people did not have to wait for their parents to die so that they could get the parents’ land and get married because there were other opportunities available. This also meant that marriage did not have to be solely for practical purposes, which meant that people were allowed to fall in love. Young people also started to move to the cities to work in factories which meant that there were less community controls to control illegitimacy. It became harder for women to turn pregnancy into marriage because men gave open promises because of the economic burden. The old style of marriage was changing. McKay, John P, et al. __A History of Western Societies__. Boston, Massachusetts. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003.