Discover new face of motherhood in 77011

For much of American history, entering into the world of motherhood was a rite of passage for young women. These days, that’s changing, as the share of women over age 35 having children rises steadily.

Back in 1990, only 9 percent of births were to women older than 35 — less than the share of births to teenagers, which came in at 13 percent, according to the Pew Research Center. That flipped by 2008, with 10 percent of births to teens, and 14 percent to women older than 35.

In 2015, 20.8 percent of babies were born to mothers in that higher age bracket, compared with 6.8 percent to teenagers. That’s a huge flip in numbers over a relatively short amount of time. But the share of older women becoming mothers is even more pronounced in one Houston neighborhood: The 77011 ZIP code in the East End.

Here, 71.6 percent of babies born in 2015 have mothers older than 35.

Though the rising average age of motherhood across America is largely tied to the fact that more women are pursuing bachelor’s and post-graduate degrees, that doesn’t quite explain what’s going on here in 77011.

Yes, in the East End, women between the ages of 35 and 64 are three times as likely than men in their cohort to have a bachelor’s degree or higher. But that’s still the vast minority of residents here: The rate is 4.6 percent for women in this age bracket and 1.5 percent for men.

And what’s more, 88.8 percent of older moms in 77011 are unmarried, busting traditional notions of what it takes to have a baby. Again, that’s an extreme example of a nationwide trend: Across the U.S., 35.5 percent of women who gave birth in 2015 were unmarried.