Status Of The
"Traditional Family"
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Families consisting of a married couple with children under age 18 have not been in a
majority since 1967. While the proportion of such families has declined dramatically in the
intervening years, the rate of decline has recently been leveling off, according to Census
Bureau officials.
- Married couples with minor children accounted for 35.7 percent of families in 1997 -
-down from 50.1 percent in 1967 and 36.3 percent in 1993.
- As a proportion of all households, married-couple households with children declined
from 40 percent to 26 percent between 1970 and 1990.
- The percentage of single-parent families in the U.S. doubled between 1970 and 1990
-- from 6 percent to 12 percent of all families and from 11 percent to 24 percent of all
households.
- From 1990 to 1997, the percentage of single-parent families edged up by less than 2
points.
The divorce rate per 1,000 people was 4.1 in 1995 -- down from 4.7 in 1990 and 5.0
in 1985.
Source: Joyce Howard Price, "Traditional Family Nowhere Near Extinct,"
Washington Times, May 28, 1998.
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