AMERICAN FAMILIESpicture of the never-married population is provid-
ed when attention is restricted to the older popula-
tion. At present, 3.8 percent of men and 4.7 per-
cent of women age sixty-five and older have never
married (Lugaila 1998). Due to the continuing
stigmatization of homosexuality, it is difficult to
ascertain the numbers of single persons who are
gay or lesbian. Researchers have estimated that 4
percent of men and 2 percent of women are
exclusively homosexual (Collins 1988). Though
homosexual marriages are not legally recognized,
many gay and lesbian couples form lasting unions.
Childbearing. Childbearing patterns have var-
ied somewhat over the past century. Women born
in 1891 had an average of three children. Women
born in 1908, who bore children during the Great
Depression, had an average of two children. This
figure increased to three children per mother
during the 1950s and has since declined to two
children per mother on average today (Sweet and
Bumpass 1987; U.S. Bureau of the Census 1998).
In addition to fewer numbers of children born,
current trends in childbearing include higher age
at first childbirth and longer intervals of time
between births. These trends are interrelated. Wait-
ing longer to have a first child and spacing births
further apart decrease the average number of
children born per mother. The timing of child-
bearing also has important effects on other life
experiences, including educational and occupa-
tional attainment. Lower rates of childbearing are
associated with higher educational levels and high-
er incomes.
Fewer married couples are having their first
child in the period immediately following mar-
riage, but there are some important differences by
race. In 1960, 54 percent of non-Hispanic white
couples had children within twelve to seventeen
months of marriage. In 1980 this figure dropped
to 36 percent. Little change was shown over this
period for black couples, who had children within
twelve to seventeen months of marriage. Com-
pared to the total population, black couples are
likely to have more children on average and to
have a child present at the time of marriage. For
whites (Hispanics and non-Hispanics) as well as
blacks, nine-tenths of all couples have children
within seven to eight years of marriage (Sweet and
Bumpass 1987).
Childbearing among single women has in-
creased greatly over the past several decades. While
just 5 percent of all births were to single women in
1960, approximately one-third (32.2 percent) of all
births were to single women in 1995 (Saluter 1996;
U.S. Bureau of the Census 1998). As is true for
many family patterns, there are substantial varia-
tions across racial-ethnic groups. Asian Americans
and Pacific Islanders show a relatively low rate of
nonmarital births, at 16.3 percent of all births in
this group. In contrast, 25.3 percent of all births
among whites are to unmarried women, and the
rate for Hispanics (who may be of any race) is 40.8
percent. Nearly 70 percent of African-American
children are born to single women (U.S. Bureau of
the Census 1998). Although socioeconomic fac-
tors do not account completely for births to single
women, nonmarital childbearing in the United
States tends to be higher among those who are
poor. Socioeconomic factors can help to explain
why African Americans, who are disproportion-
ately likely to be poor, have had higher rates of
nonmarital childbearing.Divorce. A rising divorce rate has been a
feature of U.S. society since the Civil War. At that
time, the divorce rate per 1,000 existing marriages
was just 1.2 (Jacobson 1959). By the early 1990s,
the rate had increased to more than 20 divorces
per 1,000 existing marriages (Cherlin 1996). This
long-term trend does not show a smooth and
progressive rise, however. Divorce rates have risen
more sharply after every major war during this
century. Divorce also increased following the Great
Depression, apparently reflecting stresses associat-
ed with unemployment and economic depriva-
tion. Economic prosperity as well as a greater
emphasis on family life have been linked to the
lower divorce rate observed from 1950 to 1962.
Following 1962, dramatic increases in the divorce
rate occurred, with a 100 percent increase be-
tween 1963 and 1975 (Cherlin 1992). By the early
1970s, the chance of eventual divorce reached
almost 50 percent. The divorce rate has more or
less stabilized since that time, such that approxi-
mately 50 percent of all first marriages are project-
ed to terminate eventually in divorce. The chances
of divorce are higher for second marriages, of
which 60 percent are projected to end in divorce
(Olson and DeFrain 1994).Population trends have been linked with the
increased rate of divorce. Among these trends is