Opinion: The changing American family

In my field, sociology, some of the most significant and interesting changes that we’ve witnessed in the past half century have involved the composition of the American family. But I need to point out that the United States is not unique in this regard. As a nation, we are following the trends that started in the advanced economies of Europe.

I think that a major reason for Europe leading the way in new family patterns in the 21st century is a function of the process of modernization. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the U.S. was still a “new” nation. And we had already broken from older traditions, rule by a monarchy being the most conspicuous. So, our new patterns are now 125 years old.

European countries, which are hundreds or thousands of years older and were more steeped in traditions began to modernize during the latter part of the twentieth century — a time during which the pace of change accelerated exponentially compared to previous centuries. In a sense, their “modern” patterns are, therefore, “newer” than our “modern” patterns. But, over the past fifty years, the gap has been closing, and current practices are reasonably close. But one factor that has been operative in preserving older traditions in America has been our rate of immigration. New immigrants generally bring with them more traditional ideas about marrying, having children, and establishing family patterns.

The nuclear family

From a statistical (and traditional) point of view, the family begins with marriage. Naturally, any change that occurs with marriage patterns will bring about alterations in overall family dynamics. In 1970, fully two-thirds (67 percent) of Americans between the ages of 25 and 49 were living with a spouse and one or more children younger than 18. This was the Ozzie and Harriet Family, The Leave-It-to-Beaver Family, the Huxtable Family.

The past five decades have witnessed a remarkable decrease in that “traditional” nuclear family. I put the word “traditional” in quotes because, if we turn the clock back a couple of hundred years to colonial times, this “nuclear” family of parents with their immediate children would have been somewhat unusual. In those days, “consanguine” (extended) families would have been common, with multiple generations living together. That system works well in agrarian societies.

That pattern had almost completely disappeared by 1970, but there was a new change in the wind. Twenty years later, the “nuclear” family (parents and their immediate children) declined from 67 percent to 47 percent. In 2010, it was only 39 percent, and in 2021 (the most recent data) it was 37 percent.

Other living arrangements

Just as the far more traditional consanguine family was replaced by the nuclear family during the twentieth century, the “married with children” arrangement of the twentieth century changed as we entered the twenty-first century. In 1990, two percent of families were composed of two adults cohabiting, with children. This pattern increased to four percent in 2010 and five percent in 2021. Meanwhile, unmarried parents (known as unpartnered couples) with children made up four percent of all families in 1970, six percent in 1990, seven percent in 2010, and dropped back to six percent in 2021. This had a major impact on the experience of children in the U.S. According to Statista, in 1970, fewer than 7.5 million children lived with their mother only. In 2023, that number was more than 15 million. In 1970, about 750,000 children lived with their father only; that increased to a little more than 3 million in 2023.

Increasingly, children are dropping out of the picture as more adults are opting not to start families. In 1970, 18 percent of people in shared living arrangements were married, with no children. This increased to 23 percent in 1990, and it seems to have leveled off to 21 percent in 2010 and 2021. Moreover, in 1990, three percent of households were made up of cohabiting adults with no children, and that increased to five percent in 2010 and seven percent in 2021.

Finally, there is a category that is simply labeled “Other Family Members.” That may be an adult or adults caring for elderly parents, related people (cousins, aunts, uncles, etc.) living together, or some other arrangement that is “none of the above.” In 1970, five percent of “families” fit in that category; in 1990, eight percent; in 2010 and 2021, 11 percent.

Other observations

The nature and complexion of families today are different from the tradition that is pictured on Christmas cards. For example, the rate at which Americans get married has drastically decreased over the past 50 years. In 1970, 69 percent of adults 18 years of age and older had married. This declined to just 50 percent in 2021. Only 17 percent of adults never married in 1970, and this increased to 31 percent in 2021. And, while “traditional” marriages were decreasing during those decades, other arrangements, like interracial and interethnic marriages, increased from four percent in 1970 to 16 percent in 2021.

Legal changes also produced new living arrangements. As laws permitting same-sex marriage were passed by an increasing number of states, the percentage of such marriage grew from less than 1 percent (0.7 percent) of all marriage in 2015 to 1.1 percent in 2021. While those percentages both seem low, that’s a bit more than a 50 percent increase in just six years.

As mentioned above, children have fallen out of favor, and women today are having fewer children than their 1970 counterparts. In fact, were it not for immigration, the United States would not be replacing its population. And finally, education seems to play a significant role across both racial and ethnic lines. In the 1970s, people who had only a high school diploma were as likely to marry as those who had at least a four-year college degree. Today, college graduates are far more likely to marry than are high-school grads.

It is only when you view the family in significant historical perspective that you can understand the tumultuous effect that these changes have on our everyday life.

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Jim Glynn is Professor Emeritus of Sociology. He may be contacted at j_glynn@att.net.