A look at the growing trend of women becoming single parents by choice

Facing the ticking of her biological clock, Traci Kodeck reached a pivotal crossroads at 39.

She recalls the exact moment she resolved to pursue motherhood on her own terms.

“I was with my best friend, and I said, ‘I don’t have a partner, I need to be a mom,'” Kodeck told CBS News.

She invested her life <a href="https://parentmoneylife.com/2026/09/07/how-to-save-money-on-gas-and-big-savings-on-diesel-labor-day-weekend/” title=”How to save money on gas (and big savings on diesel) Labor Day weekend”>savings into fertility treatments, eventually opting for sperm provided by a friend. Following three years of persistent effort, she welcomed her daughter, Zola.

“Then it was, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m taking home a human.’ And she was perfect,” Kodeck said.

Kodeck is a member of the group Single Mothers by Choice. Its 30,000 members represent an increasing number of women choosing to raise children solo, whether they are weary of searching for a partner or simply prefer parenting alone, much like Emma Ramos, who is raising 2-year-old Michael.

She characterizes her experience as a single mother by choice as “beautiful chaos.”

Even as a teenager, Ramos envisioned having a child rather than a spouse. Shifting societal norms have made this path more attainable. A Pew Research Center study conducted last year found that 78% of Americans view single parenting as acceptable, though 93% still favor a two-parent household structure.

“That speaks to the misconception…that we have somehow purposefully handicapped our children by…only bringing them into the world with one parent,” Ramos said.

Ramos acknowledges that the burden of being the sole decision-maker for her household presents its own set of difficulties.

“Decision-making, I would say, is a blessing,” Ramos said. “But then, I suppose, if I make the wrong decision, I’m the only one…to blame, I guess.”

Zola Kodeck recently celebrated her 11th birthday, just ahead of Mother’s Day.

“Having a single mom by choice can be hard, like when you’re first growing up, but then my mom just wanted me, nobody else,” Zola said. “…Every day to me is like a Mother’s Day.”

“Everything I do, I do for her,” Traci said of her daughter. “This house is for her. My job, it’s all for her.”