How many births are to parents who are neither married nor cohabitating?

• A. 10%
• B. 16%
• C. 25%
• D. 33%

Answer: (B)

This item tests how births are distributed across different parental relationship contexts—specifically births where the parents are not in a marriage or a cohabiting partnership. When the parents are neither married nor living together, the birth is occurring outside a stable two-parent couple arrangement. In most recent data, this category makes up a minority share of births, meaning it’s a smaller portion compared to births inside a marriage or inside a cohabiting couple. That’s why the correct choice is the option representing a modest minority: it signals a non-negligible but not dominant portion of births outside the traditional two-parent household. The other options would imply much larger or much smaller shares, which don’t align with how common births outside marriage or cohabitation tend to be in demographic data. This reflects the broader pattern of growing diversity in family forms while still showing that most births occur within a marriage or a cohabiting partnership.