[ansel12]

Now, illegitimate births are higher now, but they were not as low as we like to think they were 200 years ago. This site suggest it was about 37% or so of first births were before marriage.

I just rolled out of bed and haven't had coffee yet, but isn't your source saying that the illegitimacy rate was 2 to 4% in England in the late 1700s and that 37% of first pregnancies were 'conceived' before marriage? *"" For example, while only two to four percent of births in England in the late 1700s were illegitimate, thirty-seven percent of first births to a couple followed pre-marital conception.""*

Besides that isn't about the female marriage rate anyway.

[redgolum]

Here is another link to Google books.

http://books.google.com/books?id=hx5tyNkDQ7AC&pg=PA64&lpg=PA64&dq=illegitimacy+rate+1700&source=bl&ots=Cg0nDhg7HX&sig=7_6prKTd3mdDqhhA4gRkOp8R4yE&hl=en&sa=X&ei=q8bHU5nACsq6oQSFioHwAQ&ved=0CCgQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=illegitimacy%20rate%201700&f=false

And I guess you are right, it isn’t just about the female marriage rate. My point was that there were times with high rates of illegitimate children in Western countries before now.