ed by the deterioration of the traditional nuclear family unit. Some believe there is no such thing as a "typical" family, for family experiences are varied and variable. Among the most visible changes noted in the family in this century are the following:
--Today, relatively fewer people live in family households, and particularly in "traditional" nuclear families, than was the case earlier in the century. The trend toward living in nonfamily households (usually alone) has been associated with widowhood at older ages, the increased incidence of divorce among adults of all ages, and delayed marriage among young adults.
--Women in the United States are bearing fewer children during their lives, and they are doing so later in their reproductive years, than was true in the past. As a result, the average size of families today is smaller than it has ever been before.
--Those who live in family households still a very substantial majority of the population live in less stable, more
heterogeneous families than did earlier generations, and
...