The Demographics of American Families.

This report examines the current demographics of American families and households and how today's families differ from those of the past. Of special interest to educators are those tables providing data concerning children under age 18, i.e., school age children. Specific data from the years 1950, 1970, and 1990 include: (1) the numbers of U.S. households by type; (2) the change in the numbers of families by type; and (3) the numbers of families with children under age 18 by type. Other data examined concern family composition by race and Hispanic origin for 1970, 1980, and 1990; the living arrangements of children under age 18 for 1991; the percentage of children under age 18 living in poverty; the median income of families with children by type of family, race, and ethnicity as of the year 1990; the labor-force participation of women and men compared for the years 1950 through 1990; and the labor force status of married-couple families with children for the years 1975 through 1990. Based on the data, it appears that there are: (1) more married-couple families without children than married-couple families with children; (2) more families with stepchildren; (3) many more one-parent families with children, most of whom are poor; (4) more fathers raising their children alone; and (5) many more mothers in the labor force with, in 1992, more than 6 of 10 families with children having working mothers. (Contains 8 references.) (GLR)