The face of the typical choice mom

I sent a brief demographic survey to 100 random single Thinkers and Choice Moms to find out age, income and education level. Since most criticism of single-parent homes is based on research with relatively uneducated, young and poor mothers--and those who move to troubled neighborhoods after divorce--I thought it would help to know the face of the typical Choice Mom. Sixty-four women responded to the survey, revealing that:

1. We tend to be highly educated.
42 had post-graduate degrees; 16 were college graduates; 4 had attended some college; 2 had not gone beyond high school.

2. We tend to be mature.
Most women in my survey became single mothers in their mid- to late 30s; eleven of them were in their 40s. On average, the women who were Thinkers were in their early 30s.

3. We earn good money.
None of the women who responded to this question (not all of them did) earned less than $25,000.

6 earned between $25 and $40K; 21 earned between $40K and $60K; 34 earned more than $60K.

Several voluntarily reported earning more than $100,000, including two lawyers who earned more than $200K.

4. We are stable.
Many women moved because they purchased a home; 53 were home owners.

5. We move up, "not down."
Most women had moved at least once since becoming mothers; 16 had not moved at all, and said they had no intentions of moving, as they were happy with their child-friendly community.

Nearly everyone who moved listed these reasons: to get into a more family-oriented neighborhood, for better schools, for more space, for a less urban setting, or to be nearer to family.

Three had moved in with their mothers. One was considering relocation to get more space. One moved to be closer to doctors for her special-needs child. Another moved closer to parents and new work after being laid off. Others were not yet mothers, but were open to moving in order to get into a more child-friendly environment, or for a more racially diverse neighborhood for an adopted child. None of them said they moved to live in a less expensive area.

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