Single-Parent Families

Description and Types of Single-Parent Families

Although the concept of a single-parent family is not new, there has been growth in such families since World War II. According to the U.S. Census, in the year 2000, 9 percent of households were headed by a single parent and 1 out of 10 children in the United States lived in a single-parent family. Children in single-parent households usually live in mother-only families, although the number of children living in father-only families has also increased. According to estimates, more than half of U.S. children will spend some or all of their childhood in a single-parent household.

In 2005, 9.9 million families in the United States were headed by single mothers, and more than 2 million were headed by single fathers. Part of the growth of single-parent households is due to increased numbers of children born to unmarried parents. By 2000, about one third of U.S. births occurred outside of marriage.

Overall, children in single-parent families are more likely to live in female-headed households. They are also more likely to live in poverty than are children in two-parent or father-only families. Although the fastest growing category of single mothers is comprised of White women, Black and Hispanic children living in single-parent, female-headed households are even more likely to live in poverty. Not only are children in single-parent families more likely to be poor, they also have a greater chance of becoming involved in criminal activity, having health-related problems, and attaining lesser educational levels. They are less likely to experience consistent parental supervision and more likely to have disagreements with their parent. Children growing up in single-parent households tend to develop less stable family relationships as adults, are more likely to themselves divorce, and attain lower occupational status. Whether these outcomes are a result of being raised in a single-parent household or due to other factors, especially socioeconomic ones, are questions that are fiercely debated by researchers and policymakers.

Research shows that unmarried mothers and their children confront many obstacles. This is especially the case for children born to teenage mothers. Although teen birth rates have declined somewhat in the United States over the past 15 years, they remain high, especially when compared with other industrialized Western countries. About half of all nonmarital births occurred to women under the age of 20 in 1970, whereas less than one third of all nonmarital births were to teens by 1999. Still, the majority of teens who give birth are not married, and their children are more likely to grow up in single-parent families. These children are also more likely to experience multiple living arrangements during childhood, living in what is sometimes called subfamilies. Subfamilies are defined as single parents living within other households, often including other adult relatives such as parents. Estimates are that in the United States about one in five single parents (and their children) currently live in subfamily arrangements. Unmarried teens are also more likely to keep their babies, and fewer are getting married than in the past. Teen mothers are also more likely to have subsequent births outside of marriage, have lower educational levels, and be poor. Teen mothers are also likely to be sexually involved with men over the age of 20, who generally do not marry these teen mothers and often do not financially support their children.

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