The demography of motherhood in the United States has shifted strikingly in the past two decades. Compared with mothers of newborns in 1990, today?s mothers of newborns are older and better educated. They are less likely to be white and less likely to be married. The shift in characteristics of motherhood over the past two decades is linked to a complex mixture of demographic and behavioral changes. This analysis examines and explains these trends using data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) and the U.S. Census Bureau. A separate section, based on a Pew Research Center survey, explores the reasons people say they became parents and examines public attitudes about key trends shaping today?s birth patterns.The recasting of American motherhood takes place against a backdrop of relative stability in the total number of births?4.3 million in 2008, compared with 4.2 million in 1990. The number had risen each year from 2003 to 2007 before declining by about 66,000; the decrease appears to be linked to the economic downturn.The nation?s birth rate (births per 1,000 women of childbearing age) has declined 20% from 1990. Rates have declined for all major race and ethnic groups. The birth rate for married women is stable, but it has risen for unmarried women. (Author abstract modified)