Marlowe's Shade

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

Two Parent Families Fall Behind Single Parent Households

From the Washington Times

Single-adult households have displaced two-parent families with children as the most common kind of U.S. household, the Census Bureau reported yesterday.
The change demonstrates "the growing complexity" of American households, researchers said in a new report, "Examining American Household Composition: 1990 and 2000."
"It's breathtaking how many people still think that the 'mom, pop and two kids' is the majority of households," said Peter Francese, the founder of American Demographics magazine.
Nuclear-family households -- two married parents and a child -- were the most common as recently as 1990, when there were 25 million such households.
But by 2000, nuclear-family households fell to second place, both because there were almost a half-million fewer of these type of homes and because the number of single-adult households surged past 27 million.
Married households without children remained the third most common, with 20 million in 1990 and 22 million in 2000.
Mr. Francese, who has studied U.S. demographic trends for 35 years, said single-adult households are continuing to grow and might even hit 34 million by the 2010 census.


I don't think there is really any good way to spin this. Raising kids is just too hard for one parent. I know single parents who have done a terrific job under circumstances they couldn't control. But I think they would agree that two parents are optimal. This is a disheartening report. Our kids deserve better.
papijoe 9:50 AM
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