But not everyone wants to be like her, or at any rate to remain like her in an unmarried state.

ECONOMIST: The new women in Japan

Research by Wendy Manning of Bowling Green State University and others shows that unmarried Mexican-American couples who have children while living together are slightly more likely to break up than are blacks or whites in similar circumstances.

ECONOMIST: Hispanic families

Dias' attorney, Robert Klingler, had argued she was fired simply because she was pregnant and unmarried, a dismissal he said violated federal and state law.

NPR: Jury Finds For Ohio Teacher Fired While Pregnant

In 2006, 1.8 million Americans aged 50 and above lived in heterosexual "unmarried-partner households, " a 50% increase from 2000, figures Bowling Green State University demographer Susan Brown.

FORBES: The Second Match

Although the federal government generally recognizes state laws concerning marriage, DOMA requires the federal tax code treat all same-sex couples as unmarried.

FORBES: Same-Sex Couples and Taxes