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Part
01
Societal Changes Since the 1960s
There has been a dramatic rise in the number of single parents, same-sex families, multi-generational families, and renting during the last 50-60 years. Statistics for same-sex families is much more recent, but has experienced a large amount of growth.
Single Parents in the UK
2019
- There are approximately 1.8 million single parents in the UK in 2019. They make up 22.7% of families with dependent children. This number has remained around 25% for over a decade.
- Less than 1% are teenagers.
- 90% are women. 2% of these women are widows.
- The average age of a single parent in 2019 is 39 years old.
- 44% of single parents had their children within a marriage.
- 21% are from a black or minority ethnic background, compared to 16% being white.
- 28% have a disability.
- 55% have one child, 32.1% have two children, and 13% have three or more.
- 49% of these children live in poverty.
- 68% of these parents work. 11% are self-employed. Self-employment is seen as one of the ways to have a more balanced work life and makes it easier to manage childcare. 41% of single parents struggle to afford child-care. Some choose to work part-time to balance their responsibilities.
Historical Data
- The proportion of families headed by single parents increased from 1970-1990, but has remained steady since 2001.
- The proportion of families with dependent children which were single parent families doubled between 1971 and 1991 (8% to 19%). This has been contributed to the increase in divorce, the increase in cohabitation, and children born outside of marriage.
- The number of birth outside of a marriage doubled between 19885 and 2001 (19% to 40%).
Same Sex Parents in the UK
- The number of same-sex couple families has grown by more than 50% since 2015. There were four times more same-sex coupled families in 2018 than in 2015.
- In 2017, there were 68,000 same sex married families in the UK. This represents 29.4% of all same sex families. In 2015, this number was 8.9%. Same sex marriage was introduced in 2014.
- When just looking at couples that are families, in 2015 there were 152,000 same-sex couple families in the UK. In 2018, there were 232,000. An increase of 53.2%.
- One out of every eight adoptions in the UK are by same-sex couples. There were 3,820 adoptions in England in 2018. 450 of those were same-sex couples (12%). A decade ago, just 80 adoptions were to same-sex couples.
Cohabitating Couples in the UK
- The number of cohabitating couples that have families are growing faster than married couples. This number is up 25.8% over the last decade.
- There are currently 3.4 million cohabiting couple families.
Multi-Generational Families in the UK
- In 2001, there were 325,000 households with multi-generational families. In 2013 that number rose to 419,000.
- From 2009 to 2014, there was a 38% increase in the number of multi-generational families.
- Some people choose to live with their parents for economic reasons. Others choose to because it makes caring for family members easier. Housing affordability and breaking into the housing market has been cited by many as a chief reason. Other reasons include being able to afford a better property, help with childcare, and the social benefits that a multi-generational living situation provide.
- Four out of five multi-generational households are White British, although some ethnic minority groups are more likely to adopt this lifestyle
- It is estimated that there are currently 1.8 million multi-generational homes today in the UK (7% of all households). Of that number 20% are 25-34 year olds that live with their parents. This number is up from 16% in 1991.
- The trend is a growing one. So much so that architects are planning multi-generational homes that are three-story townhouses with multiple entrances.
Owning Versus Renting in the UK
- In 2019, 41.2% of households headed by a person aged 25-34 owned their homes, while 40.9% rented.
- In 2016, in London, the number of rented homes was more than owner occupied homes. They predicted that by 2025, the proportion of renters would be 60%. This shift has been blamed on the increasing costs of owning a home. Additionally, new housing has not kept up with the growth in population. 898,000 households were rented, while 883,000 were owner-occupied. Just 16 years earlier, in 2000, 60% of the homes were owner-occupied.
- In 2016, the average price for a home in London was £643,843. The annual salary was £34,000. These two factors make buying a home impossible for many.
- 86% of the public state they would like to own their own home.
- In the UK, around 5 million household (21%) were rented privately in 2017. That number is predicted to be 5.79 million (24%) by 2021.
- 68% of renters expect to still be renting three years later.
- Other than affordability, 8% stated they were renting because they did not want the responsibility, 6% rented because of their work, 6% were downsizing, and 5% did not want to be stuck in one location.
Historical Data- Buying/Renting
- For people born in the late 1970s, 43% owned their home by the age of 27. For those born just five years later, that number drops to 33%. For those born in the late 80s, the number is 25%.
- A little over 20 years ago, 64% of 25- to 34-year-olds in London and the South East owned a home, a figure that has now halved, to just 32%.
- Fifty years ago more than half (51%) of the English housing market was owner occupied. From the turn of the century the number of owner occupiers rapidly increased and plateaued in the 90s. From 2006 there was a slight reduction of owner occupiers with a matching increase in private renters.