Census 2000 Family Statistics Terrifying

by Teresa McEntire | More from this Blogger

In the year 2000 the United States did a census. I recently reviewed the statistics and found the statistics on the family terrifying. The reason is that the traditional family is disappearing and being replaced with single parent families or families with no children at all.

Although I realize that many times single parenting is not by choice, there are many women and to a lesser degree men who choose to be single parents and have children when not married at all.

The dissolution of the family is causing a breakdown in our society. Children benefit greatly from two-parent families and there is research that supports this. For more information about the research read my blog on the benefits of two-parent families.

Many women are choosing to pursue careers rather than starting a family. In recent years this trend has escalated. According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the average age of a woman when she had her first child in 1970 was 21.4. In the year 2000 the average age had risen to 25 years old.

The site accounts for a number of reasons for the delay in childbearing, mainly that since 1970 to 2000 "the number of women completing college has nearly doubled and the number in the labor force has gone up by almost 40 percent." Another factor is that the number of teen births has decreased as the number of women having their first child in their 30's or 40's has increased.

As you read through these statistics consider the effect that such trends is having and will have upon our children and future generations. It is important that we teach our children the value of family and the importance of having a family themselves.

Total Households - 2000

In 2000, there were a total of 105.5 million households (both family and non-family) in the U.S.

Of these households: 68.1%, or 71.8 million households, were family households.

31.9%, or 33.7 million households, were non-family households.

Households with Children Under Age 18

Of the 34.6 million households with children under age 18:

72% were headed by married couples, compared to 89% in 1970.

28% of households with children under age 18 were headed by a single parent.

These single parent households broke down as follows:

77.6% were headed by a female parent

22.4% were headed by a male parent

These numbers mean that, in 2000:

More than 1 in 4 families with children under age 18 were headed by a single parent.

More than 3 out of 4 single parent families were headed by a Mom.

Households Without Children Under Age 18

The remaining 67.2% of the 105.5 million U.S. households broke down as follows:

Family

35.3% of all households, or 37.2 million households with no children under the age of 18.

Non-Family

31.9 of all households or 33.7 million households, compared to 23% of all households in 1970.

Learn more about Teresa McEntire

Teresa McEntire grew up in Utah the oldest of four children. She currently lives in Kuna, Idaho, near Boise. She and her husband Gene have been married for almost ten years.

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