HOMEThe State of Family in America
At the center of every home is a homemaker.
What does it mean to be a family?
Whos at the center?
Its easy to think of a homemaker as a stereotype from an earlier time. And, to many of us, it seems like a homemaker can only be part of a certain kind of family.
But these days, a homemaker is anyone who makes a home. And that doesnt mean staying at home and tying on a frilly apron. It means lots of different things. For lots of different families.
71%
We get nostalgic about old-fashioned values. And we feel like we want to go back to a simpler time, when everything seemed a little easier. When asked which decade was the best for children to grow up in, more Americans chose the 1950s than any other decade.1
71% of Americans say that they have old-fashioned
values about family and marriage. 2
85%75% 75%
85% of American adults say that the family they live in now is as close or closer than the family they grew up in.4
75% of Americans do NOT think that women should return to their traditional roles.6
67% of Americans are optimistic about the future
of marriage and family.5
75% of Americans say that they are very satisfied
with their family life.3
67%
But what we really want isnt to be old-fashioned. Its to be together.When we really think about what it means to be an old-fashioned family, we dont want to go back to the way things were. Were happy with the ways that we live and work together today.
There are more ways to be a family now than ever before.
And looking at the different ways of being a family makes our understanding of home deeper and richer.
Heres what weve learned:
Theres a new kind of normal when it comes to the American family.
Marriage is changing.In 2010, less than half of all households in the United States included a husband and a wife. Its the first time thats ever happened - since the census started collecting household data in 1940. 7
46% of marriages in America today are remarriages for at least one of the people involved. 8
46% REMARRIAGES
Both moms and dads are spending moretime with their kids.
Married parents spend way more time with their kids now than they did in 1965. Moms have increased their time with kids by 21%. And dads? Have more then tripled theirs. 9
Over 90% of dads who live with their children talk with their kids about the day and have meals with them at least a few times a week. 10
MOMS DADS
There are more stepfamilies, adoptive families, and couples living together.
Step relatives are everywhere - 42% of Americans have at least one. 11
And so is adoption. 100 million Americans have at least one adopted family member. 12
More than 80% of births outside of marriage are to a couple that intends to raise their child together. And almost half of unmarried couples who have children live together. 13
The number of same-sex couples is increasing fast.The number of same-sex couples living together has increased by 80% in the last ten years, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates. 14
80%
Were taking care of our parents longer.These days, most people will spend more time caring for their parents than they will caring for their children. 15
Our new family structures make us happy.
Because the love that exists between family members is a lot more important than how theyre arranged.
We know how important family is, and we make time for it.76% of adults say that family is the most impor-tant part of their lives. 16
84% of families with kids under 18 have family meals together at least a few times a week. 17
84%
Couples are sharing household chores and paid work more evenly.
Dads are sharing the load - since 1965, theyve more than doubled the time they spend doing chores, from 4 hours a week to 10 hours a week. And moms have decreased their hours of chores from 32 hours a week to 18 hours a week. 18
26% of women now earn at least 10% more than their husbands. 19
MOMS (1965)
MOMS (2011)
DADS (1965)
DADS (2011)
Most of us are happy about the new ways couples are sharing work.Men are happier when they help with household work. 20
In one survey, 8 out of 10 young adults who grew up with a working mom said it was the best choice for their family. 21
62% of people say that sharing household chores is very important for a successful mar-riage, even higher than the number who say the same about an adequate income, only 53%. 22
SOMEWHAT IMPORTANT
0 25 50 75 100
SHARING HOUSEHOLD CHORES
VERY IMPORTANT
DONT KNOW
NOT AS IMPORTANT
NOT IMPORTANT
Every family makes home in a different way.
And every family has its own unique strengths.
Interracial families:Most interracial families make a strong commit-ment to their children, and many spend more than the average amount of time and money on their families. 23
Adrian, Tracy, Jasmine, and Jade
Divorced families:About half of grown children whose parents were divorced said that their relationships with their fathers were very strong. Their fathers spent lots of dedicated time with them and attended many of their school and recreational activities. 24
Shari, Frederick, Chase, and Savanna
Singles:Most singles live happy and healthy lives, and have firm connections to their communities. They create strong relationships with their friends and maintain robust intergenerational ties. 25
Nien and Waffles (dog)
Same-sex couples:Same-sex couples not only share the load in the tasks of daily life, but they also tend to approach one another gently during times of conflict. 26
Many children of same-sex couples are proud of the way theyve learned to treat others - with compassion and respect. 27
Susan, Carol, Jonathan, and Max (dog)
Stay-at-home parents:In many families where a mom or dad stays at home, the stay-at-home parent can devote lots of attention to school and extracurricular activities, spending extra time on homework, meeting with teachers, and leisure activities with the kids. 28
Rochelle, Ahjah, Malachi, and Eliana
Parents who both work:Children raised in families where both parents work learn to respect women and womens roles. 29
62% of Americans say marriages are better when husbands and wives both have jobs and share responsibility for the household and kids. 30
Perteet, Frederick, and Clark
Single parent families:Single parent families tend to have healthy relationships with extended family, and keep them involved in their kids lives. 31
Single parents spend lots of time talking with their kids. 32
Krista, Ian, and Evan
Stepfamilies:Stepfamilies can provide multiple role models of both genders for children. 33
Successful stepfamilies work as a team, creating a strong support system that helps them maintain stability. 34
Amanda Lynn, Michael, and Gabriella
At Betty Crocker, were inspired by the unique strengths of every kind of family.
Were learning a lot about the many ways different families are making home - and we want to share their successes with the world.
Love is all it takes to make a home. Love is why homemakers create somewhere warm, safe, and supportive for their families.
Talking together brings families closer, helps them work out tensions and problems before they get too serious, and helps them share the joys and sorrows of everyday life.
Modern homes - and the families who make them - have some important things in common.
1. Love
2. Communication
Vacations, meals together, and even just playing are important ways for families to enjoy each others company. Sharing the good things in life keeps families close.
5. Support Systems
3. Working Together
4. Playing Together
Sharing chores makes families happier and brings them closer together. When everyone feels responsible for making home, home belongs to everyone.
Sometimes, keeping a family together requires some outside help. Whether its neighbors, extended family, or friends, having a support system can make all the difference.
Where theres a family, theres a home. And where theres a home, theres a homemaker.
Everyone is part of a home, one way or another.
Home is what you make it.And were here to help.
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1. What makes you proud of your family?
2. What is the biggest struggle your family faces?
3. How do you work together to make a home?
Tweet your answers:
#familiesproject
bettycrocker.com/familiesproject
Join the Families Project. Were on a mission to understand what it means to be a family, so we can share the strengths that make every family part of a home.
https://www.twitter.comhttp://www.bettycrocker.com/familiesproject
A special thanks to all of the families that helped.
Krista
Mary
Ian
Evan
Amanda
Michael
Mason
Gabriella
Miles
Rochelle
Ahjah
Malachi
Eliana
Susan
Carol
Patrick
Jonathan
Max (dog)
Frederick
Shari
Chase
Savanna
Perteet
Frederick
Clark
Adrian
Tracy
Jasmine
Jade
Nien
Waffles (dog)
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