And going further into all this I've got to say that nowadays when Nigerian women aren't married by the "golden age" (whatever that is) it becomes a major problem. The social stigma becomes a burden that fucks with your karma at night and forces you to pretend that all is well while you grit your teeth and bear it. We are Africans. The plural familial system that is our tradition is founded upon a woman bearing children for a man. She might not inhabit the same abode as he. He may even have other women who have also borne children for him. His responsibility was to provide for the mother of his children and his children. This is the way it was. The advent of Christianity has resulted in the "no marriage no life" mantra, yet the West is consistently pushing an anti-family agenda that promotes cohabitation, homosexuality and sexual ambiguity. I'm not saying this lightly and I don't believe my words will resonate with everyone, but moving beyond the "single mother" denigration I would've thought the joy of having children to nurture and share with far out weighs the consideration of "what will people think when they know I have children but I'm not married?" That's not their concern and it shouldn't be yours either.