ABSTRACT
Historically there have been a number of different answers given in our society to this dilemma. First, the institution of marriage fought for recognition against promiscuity, and monogamy against the keeping of concubines. For some centuries there was no slur attached to illegitimacy, then it became a matter of class: it was fashionable to have a natural son amongst the aristocracy but very reprehensible amongst the lower orders. Social workers come into this whole tangled situation with tremendous responsibilities and with need for much knowledge, wisdom, freedom from moral judgment or rigid ideas or rules and for much understanding of what is involved, not only for unmarried mothers in general, but for this particular unmarried mother and her baby.
