Indicators of Change in the American Family 1610442032, 9781610442039

Table of contents :
Cover
Title Page, Copyright Page
Table of Contents
List of Figures
List of Tables
List of Series
Introduction
Marriage
Marital Status
Households
Fertility
Dependency
Divorce
Work and Income
Poverty
Statistical Series
Bibliography

Citation preview

Indicators of Change in the American Family ABBOTT L. FERRISS

RUSSELL SAGE FOUNDATION

230 Park Avenue. New York. N.Y. 10017

1970

PUBLICATIONS OF RUSSELL SAGE FOUNDATION Russell Sage Foundation was established in 1907 by Mrs. Russell Sage for the improvement of social and living conditions in the United States. In carrying out its purpose the Foundation conducts research under the direction of members of the staff or in close collaboration with other institutions, and supports programs designed to improve the utilization of social science knowledge. As an integral part of its operations, the Foundation from time to time publishes books or pamphlets resulting from these activities. Publication under the imprint of the Foundation does not necessarily imply agreement by the Foundation, its Trustees, or its staff with the interpretations or conclusions of the authors.

© 1970 Russell Sage Foundation Printed in the United States of America Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 76-102385 Standard Book Number 87154-250-1

Foreword As far-reaching change takes place in American society, the social science community and those concerned with public policy and intervention increasingly seek data relevant to an examination of social change. In anticipation of this twofold demand for systematic data and analysis, the Russell Sage Foundation instituted a program of study on "social indicators" in 1965. Indicators of Change in the American Family is the third in a series of publications resulting from this program effort. The first volume of the series, Indicators of Social Change ( 1968), edited by Eleanor Bernert Sheldon and Wilbert E. Moore, presented a general framework for the analysis and measurement of change. Indicators of Trends in American Education (1969) by Abbott L. Ferriss, the second in the series, presents the principal time-series data basic to the description and analysis of changes in American education. In Indicators of Change in the American Family, Dr. Ferriss has provided us with a selection of some existent and some new measures of family change. This assemblage of indicators on a fundamental institution illustrates both the value of analyzed time-series data and the innovative utilization of these data in examining social change. It is anticipated by the author and by the Foundation that the materials presented will be an important data resource to researchers and others; we trust that it will stimulate others to develop new approaches to and refinements of social reporting and social measurement. ELEANOR BERNERT SHELDON

New York, New York October, 1969

iii

Acknowledgments The data here presented have been compiled from published sources, brought up to date with recent, unpublished data obtained through courtesy of a government agency. The United States Bureau of the Census, the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the Division of Vital Statistics of the National Center for Health Statistics have been especially helpful. Mrs. Carol O'Shaughnessy assisted in bringing together many of the statistical series and in editorial tasks; and Mary Ann Ferguson typed the manuscript. A. L. F.

v

Table of Contents List of Figures

ix

List of Tables

xi

List of Series

xi

Introduction

1

Illegitimate Birth Rates, by Age of Mother, 19401967 Illegitimate Birth Rates, by Age of Mother and Color, 1955-1967 Rates of Illegitimacy of Four Independent (fiveyear) Cohorts of Unmarried Women, 19401965 Changes in the Rates of Illegitimacy Infant Mortality Rates, by Color and Sex, 19201967

Marriage

The Marriage Rate, 1940-1968, and a Sex Ratio, 1950-1975

56 58

60 62 66

8 Dependency

Marital Status

Marital Status of the Female Population 15 Years of Age and Over, 1940-1968 Marital Status of the Female Population, by FiveYear Age Groups, 1940-1968 Marital Status of the Population by Age, Sex, and Color, 1940-1967 Males, 14 Years of Age and Over, by Color Females, 14 Years of Age and Over, by Color Males, 20-24 Years of Age, by Color Females, 20-24 Years of Age, by Color Males, 25-29 Years of Age, by Color

Children Under 18 Years of Age per 100 Population 18-64 Years of Age, 1940-1968 Percent of Children Under 18 Years of Age Not Living with Both Parents, 1950 to 1966, and by Color, 1957-1966 Children Involved in Divorce, 1953-1967

10

12 14 14

68

70 72

Divorce

Divorces and Annulments per 1,000 Married Women 15 Years of Age and Over, 1920-1967 A Lead Indicator of the Number of Divorces, 1954-1967 Estimated Divorce Rates by Marriage Cohort, 1949-1967

18 22 26 28

74 76 78

Households

The Number of Households and the Percent Husband-Wife Households, 1900-1968 Primary Individual Households, 1940-1968 Average Population per Household, by Age and Color, 1955-1968 Average Size of Family, by Age and Color, 19551968 The Changing Composition of the Family, 19471968 Percent of Married Couples Without Own Households, 1940-1968 Households with Female Heads, by Color, 19301967 Percent Intact Marriages for Females, by Color, 1940-1967

30 32

Work and Income

Labor Force Participation Rates of the 20-24 Year Old Population, by Sex and Marital Status, 1957-1968 Unemployment Rates by Marital Status, Sex and Color, 1962-1968 Mean Income of Families and Unrelated Individuals and a Measure of Income Distribution, 19471966 Money Income of Families and Unrelated Individuals, 1947-1966

34 36 38 42 44

84

88 90

Poverty

Families and Unrelated Individuals Living in Poverty, by Color, 1959-1967 Characteristics of Poverty Families, 1959 to 1967 Age, Sex, Color, and Household Status of Family Units in Poverty, 1966

46

Fertility

Net Reproduction Rates, by Color, United States, 1940-1967 The Number of Children Ever Born per 1,000 Women, by Age and Color, 1940-1969 Legitimate and Illegitimate Birth Rates, 19401967

82

50 52

Statistical Series

54

Bibliography

vii

92 94 96 98 130

List of Figures 1 Total Marriages per 1,000 Unmarried Women 15-44 Years of Age, 1940-1968, Series 1, and Ratio, Males, 20-26 Years of Age, to 100 Females, 18-24 Years of Age, 1950-1975, Series 2

9

33

cent of Total Households, 1940-1968, Series 65 and 69

14 Average Population per H