London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
London County Council 1959
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
This page requires JavaScript
Illegitimacy—
Table (iii)—Illegitimate live births in London (A.C.) and percentages for London and England and Wales, 1950-59
| Year | Illegitimate live births | Illegitimate live births as a percentage of total live births | |
|---|---|---|---|
| London A.C. | England and Wales | ||
| 1950 | 3,752 | 7.0 | 5.1 |
| 1951 | 3,597 | 6.9 | 4.7 |
| 1952 | 3,607 | 7.0 | 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 |
| 1959 | 5,765 | 10.4 | 5.1 |
The percentage of illegitimate Diruis in mnuon nas snown a marKeu upwaru movemeui
over the last five years whilst nationally there has been a relatively slight increase. The
national percentages, however, mask the fact that the relatively constant proportion of
illegitimate births derives from a decreasing proportion of women—on the assumption that
all unmarried women are equally exposed to such a risk. Overall, legitimate maternities
to the increased numbers and proportion of married women have increased by some
10 per cent, between 1954 and 1958, whereas in the same period illegitimate maternities
in the decreased number and proportion of unmarried women has increased by some
24 per cent. Legitimate maternity rates decrease with age whereas illegitimate rise to a
peak between ages 25 and 34.
The necessary data is not available for similar calculations to be made for London
(which in any event has a different age structure and a lower proportion of married women)
but there seems no reason to doubt that, broadly, the same tendencies will apply. London,
probably in common with other conurbations, also has other problems 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 1959 from which it will be seen that 688 (22.9 per cent.)
were pregnant on arrival in London and that in all 1,259 (41.9 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
| British | Eire | European | West Indian | Other | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-Londoners pregnant on arrival in London | 383(335) | 183(216) | 39(21) | 64(86) | 19(35) | 688(693) |
| *Non-Londoners not pregnant on arrival in London | 93(104) | 96(103) | 17(13) | 20(50) | 6(8) | 232(278) |
| Resident in London one year | 1,270(1,300) | 455(364) | 85(52) | 236(242) | 39(46) | 2,085(2,004) |
| 1,746(1,739) | 734(683) | 141(86) | 320(378) | 64(89) | 3,005(2,975) | |
| *Had lived in London less than 12 months before making contact with Moral Welfare Association. | ||||||