Section: Reading

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One factor the author does not endorse as contributing to the rise of single motherhood is:

1. The growing economic independence of women.
2. A decline in men's earning power relative to women's.
3. Unchanging attitudes toward individual freedom during the 1960s.
4. A shift in social norms and values during the 1960s that reduced the stigma associated with divorce and nonmarital childbearing.

Answer 3 is correct. Answers 1, 2, and 4, are the three factors the author postulates as being behind the rise. The author also notes, "Attitudes toward individual freedom also changed during the 1960s," which Answer 3 opposes.