WHAT IS A 'TYPICAL' FAMILY?

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 625.

Families are changing shape and facing up to new lifestyle challenges. The facts and figures below give an idea of what the typical UK family looks like in the early 21st century.

The UK family: In statistics

There were 17.1 million families in the UK in 2006 - up from 16.5 million in 1996. Most were still headed by a married couple (71%), although the proportion of cohabiting couple families had increased to 14%, from 9% 10 years earlier. Although two children remains the most common family size, the average number of children per family in the UK has dropped - from 2.0 in 1971 to 1.8.