The Modern American Family
Key trends in marriage and family life in the United States.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Key trends in marriage and family life in the United States.
Americans are more pessimistic than optimistic about the institution of marriage and the family. At the same time, the public is fairly accepting of diverse family arrangements, though some are seen as more acceptable than others.
63% of Americans are pessimistic about the country’s moral and ethical standards, and 59% are pessimistic about its education system.
Among married couples in the United States, women’s financial contributions have grown steadily over the last half century. Even when earnings are similar, husbands spend more time on paid work and leisure, while wives devote more time to caregiving and housework.
Women made up 47% of the U.S. civilian labor force in 2023, up from 30% in 1950 – but growth has stagnated.
Most U.S. young adults are at least mostly financially independent and happy with their parents’ involvement in their lives. Parent-child relationships are mostly strong.
India’s artificially wide ratio of baby boys to baby girls – which arose in the 1970s from the use of prenatal diagnostic technology to facilitate sex-selective abortions – now appears to be narrowing. Son bias has declined sharply among Sikhs, while Christians continue to have a natural balance of sons and daughters.
Among employed U.S. adults who are ages 25 to 64 and married, husbands spend about 28 hours per week on leisure. Wives spend about 26 hours on it.
Two-thirds or more in Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam say that women should decide for themselves whether to bear children.
Here’s a look back at 2023 through some of our most striking research findings.
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