Content area
Full Text
What has become of the American Family? In 1992, the Presidential election put a bright spotlight on the decline of the traditional "married-with-children" lifestyle. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that the percentage of family households headed by a manied couple declined from 40.3% in 1970 to just 25.9% in 1991. And a compilation of Roper's in-person surveys throughout 1991 shows that only 30% of adults are themselves married with children, down from 39% in 1977.
As Dan Quayle illustrated with his infamous "Murphy Brown" speech, the United States is experiencing a steep rise in the number of single-parent families. Also increasing are the numbers of single-person households and other "unconventional" living arrangements. But it is far too early to proclaim the demise of the American family. Although "married-with-children" households may be less prevalent now, the shift reflects merely demographic trends rather than a fundamental change in America's "family values."
The rise of single-parent families is a significant social issue, if for no other reason than the financial hardship it creates; collectively, these families eam only half the income of married-couple families. From the children's perspective, the problem is even worse: 28.3% of children under age 18 do not have two parents living at home, up from 14.8% in 1970. Clearly, the rise of single-parent families is a problem that marketers must address.
A less widely recognized factor...