Population review: (6). Families and households in Great Britain.

Fundamental changes have affected families and households this century. This article describes these changes and documents the trends in more recent decades. The changing pattern and composition of families and households are considered in relationship to trends in fertility, marriage, divorce, cohabitation, increased longevity and the age structure of the population. A more detailed picture is then presented of contemporary families and households, not only of their main demographic characteristics, but also of such features as the ethnicity and social class of their heads. Finally, the geographical variation in the prevalence of the different kinds of families is presented, showing considerable urban-rural differentials.