The airlines originally hired nurses to serve as flight attendants, but by the postwar era, trained health-care workers were long gone and the airlines were looking for attractive, unmarried young women whose main duty would be to serve drinks and meals.

NPR: Excerpt: 'When Everything Changed'

Charles Blow in the New York Times wrote about the stakes for young, unmarried women in this election.

FORBES: What Happens If You Don't Vote? VIDEO

Under a bright full moon, dozens of young, unmarried village women gather in a circle, join hands and sing and dance all night under the direction of a lead singer.

UNESCO: Culture

Urmila, a district councillor in the countryside near Rohtak, says unmarried young men are turning to crime, and violence against women has increased.

ECONOMIST: A shortage of girls will haunt India for decades

But to truly move forward, educators, employers, policy makers, parents, entertainment leaders and young adults themselves need to join together in launching a national conversation about bringing down the childbearing rate of unmarried women and men in their 20s.

WSJ: The New Unmarried Moms