The evolving American family.

The American family is undergoing profound changes. In the past few decades the traditional two-parent family has dramatically decreased while the one-parent family has become more prevalent. Currently, just seven out of 10 children under 18 years of age live with both mother and father; in 1960 the ratio was nearly nine out of 10. During this interval, premarital childbearing, separation and divorce increased rapidly, with the result that the percentage of children residing with just one parent virtually tripled--from 9 percent to 26 percent. Parental characteristics of single- and two-parent families with children under 18 showed significant differences among racial groups.