Sociologist Brad Wilcox, in his Meaning of Marriage essay,
reviews the high hopes that some had in the 1960s and '70s that
the Pill and easy abortion would mean that every child would be
born into a secure home. If it was so easy to prevent births
that the parents were not prepared for, this reasoning went,
then responsible parents would only have children when they were
married and financially ready. It turns out, though, that there
are lots of irresponsible parents. In facts, there are plenty of
guys willing to make babies, then leave it up to the mother to
decide to have all the children she wanted. After all, it was
her choice. Contraception and abortion, and the culture of
choice that came with them, shifted the balance in a
relationship from the women who wanted to marry and raise kids
with their husbands, to the men who might or might not follow
through in marrying their pregnant girlfriends and raising the
children they made. The problem of fatherless children affects
all classes, but is most common,