Asian American Mothers: Maternal Characteristics by Maternal Place of Birth and Asian Subgroup, United States, 2016

Questions for Anne K. Driscoll, Ph.D., Statistician and Lead Author of “Asian American Mothers: Maternal Characteristics by Maternal Place of Birth and Asian Subgroup, United States, 2016”

Q: What do you feel was the most interesting finding in your report?

AD: Although Asian mothers as a groups differ from other mothers on the characteristics analyzed, they are a heterogeneous group; birthplace and Asian subgroup are key sources of that heterogeneity.

Q: What countries of origin do Asian-Indian mothers come from?

AD: Asian Indian refers to people from India (i.e., to distinguish between people from India and Native Americans/ American Indians).

Q: How do we explain the significant difference between unmarried childbearing among Asian women vs. the rest of the U.S.?

AD: It is likely that the difference is related to differences in educational attainment and maternal age between Asian women and other women, as well as to other factors not measured here.

Q: How do the high education levels among Asian mothers compare to U.S. mothers of other races?

AD: Asian mothers have the highest education levels of any race/Hispanic origin group; the percent with at least a bachelor’s degree is roughly 50% higher than that of non-Hispanic white mothers, the group with the second highest education level.

Q: Any other significant findings you’d like to mention about your study?

AD: Asian mothers, both those born in and outside the US, were more likely to be age 30 and over and less likely to be teen mothers than other groups.