9/15/2013
Single fathers head almost one in 10 households with children under 18 (8%), the highest proportion ever recorded, according to the Pew Research Center. In 2011, single dads headed more than 2.6 million households, up from just 297,000 in 1960. In 2011, dads represented 24% of single parents, up from 14% in 1960. Single dads are much more likely than single moms to be cohabiting with a partner (41% of dads vs. 16% of moms). Just over half of single dads (52%) are divorced, widowed, or never married and are living without a partner, while 7% are married but living apart.
Compared to married fathers living with their spouses, single dads have lower household incomes, but they have higher incomes than single moms do. Single fathers are less likely than married fathers to be white and more likely to be black or Hispanic. Men under 30 are more likely than older men to be single dads. Men under 30 make up 30% of single dads living with partners but only 10% of those living without partners. Single fathers who live with partners tend to be younger, less affluent, and less educated than those living without partners.
SOURCE: “The Rise of Single Fathers: A Ninefold Increase Since 1960,” Pew Research Center, Gretchen Livingston, Senior Researcher, 1615 L St., NW, #700, Washington, DC 20036; 202-419-4300; info@pewresearch.org; www.pewresearch.org.
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