London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
London County Council 1958
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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Illegitimacy
Table (iii)—Illegitimate live births in London (AC.) and percentages for London and England and Wales, 1949-58
| Year | Illegitimate life births | Illegitimate live births as a percentage of total live births | |
|---|---|---|---|
| London A.C. | England and Wales | ||
| 1949 | 3,899 | 6.9 | 5.1 |
| 1950 | 3,752 | 7.0 | 5.1 |
| 1951 | 3,597 | 6.9 | 4.7 |
| 1952 | 3,607 | 70 | 4.8 |
| 1953 | 3,645 | 7.1 | 4.7 |
| 1954 | 3,615 | 7.1 | 4.7 |
| 1955 | 3,827 | 7.7 | 4.6 |
| 1956 | 4,434 | 8.5 | 4.8 |
| 1957 | 4,686 | 8.9 | 4.8 |
| 1958 | 5,343 | 9.9 | 4.9 |
Whilst the national percentage of illegitimate births has been steady over the last
decade, that for London has risen markedly over the last four years. The national
proportion of maternities conceived extra-maritally (i.e. both illegitimate maternities
and extra-maritally conceived maternities legitimised by marriage before birth) has
also been reasonably stable, so that either proportionately fewer London mothers are
getting married in time or there are other factors involved. There is clearly a greater
risk of illegitimacy in London because of the greater proportion of potential mothers
of whom proportionately fewer are married, but this can hardly account for a rate
double that of England and Wales. There is no doubt that some part of the excess is
due to the facilities London can offer to an unmarried mother—ante-natal care, anonymity
and support from moral welfare organisations. The table set out below shows the
types of women seen by the moral welfare organisations in 1958 from which it will be
seen that 693 (23.3 per cent.) were pregnant on arrival in London and that in all 1,236
(41.5 per cent.) were not British. It should be remembered that these components of the
illegitimate births are minima—the moral welfare organisations do not deal with all
unmarried mothers, though doubtless they will tend to deal with proportionately more
of the non-Londoners.
Table (iv)—Unmarried mothers seen by Moral Welfare organisations in London, 1958 (Figures in brackets are for 1957)
| British | Eire | European | West Indian | Other | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-Londoners pregnant on arrival in London | 335 (290) | 216 (219) | 21 (13) | 86 (81) | 35 (28) | 693 (631) |
| *Non-Londoners not pregnant on arrival in London | 104 (78) | 103 (83) | 13 (21) | 50 (67) | 8 (6) | 278 (255) |
| Resident in London one year | 1,300 (1,142) | 364 (330) | 52 (59) | 242 (225) | 46 (42) | 2,004 (1,798) |
| 1,739 (1,510) | 683 (632) | 86 (93) | 378 (373) | 89 (76) | 2,975 (2,684) | |
* Had lived in London less than 12 months before making contact with Moral Welfare Association.
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