Over a span of five years, [the authors] talked in-depth with 162 low-income single moms ... to learn how they think about marriage and family. [This book] offers an intimate look at what marriage and motherhood mean to these women and provides [an] extensive on-the-ground study ... of why they put children before marriage despite the daunting challenges they know lie ahead.. [This book] argues that until poor young women and men have greater access to jobs that lead to financial security - that is, until they can hope for a rewarding life outside of bearing and raising children - they will continue to have children far sooner than most Americans think they should, and in less than ideal circumstances.-Dust jacket.