A new report reveals that the share of American children living with two parents has reached its highest level in decades despite predictions of further declines.
The Institute for Family Studies found that while 87.7% of children younger than 18 lived with two parents in 1960, that figure had dropped to 67.3% by 2005. The percentage of children living with two parents in 2023 was measured at 71.1%, the highest share since 1990.
Meanwhile, 25% of children under the age of 18 lived with a single parent in 2023 while the remaining 3.8% resided with neither parent.
Research psychologist Nicholas Zill noted, “The trends reviewed here show us that those who predicted a relentless increase in family instability or single parenthood were simply wrong.”
According to Zill, “There seem to be growing numbers of young adults in all racial and ethnic groups who realize the economic, educational, and emotional benefits of marriage for themselves and their future children. As parenthood becomes more selective, the marriage-minded may have an advantage in childbearing.”
According to the report, two developments that promise to extend the resurgence of the traditional family are the older ages at which adults embark on parenthood and the increased numbers of recent immigrants in the U.S. population.