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Changing Family Types in the First Five Years: New Evidence from UK Millennium Cohort Study

This research study analyzes the changing family structure among families with young children in the United Kingdom. It examines the prevalence and characteristics of different family types and investigates the factors that contribute to family change in the first five years of children's lives. The study is based on data from the UK Millennium Cohort Study, a longitudinal birth cohort study following over 19,000 children born in the UK in 2000/2001.

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Changing Family Types in the First Five Years: New Evidence from UK Millennium Cohort Study

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  1. Sub-brand to go here Family change in the first five years of life: new evidence from the UKMillennium Cohort Study Lisa Calderwood CLS is an ESRC Resource Centre based at the Institute of Education

  2. Motivation: Demographic context • Family life in the UK has changed significantly over the last 30 years • Increasingly common for children to live apart from their natural father – usually either with lone natural mother or natural mother and step-father • Proportion of all children living in lone parent families increased from 9% in 1972 to 24% in 2006 (ONS, 2007) • 10% of all families with dependent children were step-families in 2005 (ONS, 2007)

  3. Research Questions • How prevalent are different family types among families with young children? • How does this change over the first five years of children’s lives? • What are the characteristics of children who are most ‘at risk’ of experiencing family change?

  4. The Data: UK Millennium Cohort Study Longitudinal birth cohort study following over 19,000 children born in the UK in 2000/2001 Four sweeps so far at 9 months, 3 years, 5 years and 7 years Funded by ESRC and UK government departments Over sampled places in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, areas with high child poverty and in England areas with higher minority ethnic populations. One of four British Birth Cohort Studies

  5. Results 1: Family type at 9 months and 5 years The vast majority of children were living with both natural parents – but this proportion was lower at 5 years than 9 months: 77% compared with 86% Decline due to a fall in proportion living with cohabiting natural parents – from 24% to 14% Increase in proportion living with natural mother and step-father – from 0.2% to 4% - and lone natural mothers – from 14% to 17% Living with married natural parents was the most common family situation at both 9 months (61%) and 5 years (63%)

  6. Results 2: Change in family type from 9 months to 5 years Most children (85%) did not experience a change in family type between 9 months and 5 years Children living with lone natural parents at 9 months were much more likely to experience a change in family type by 5 years than children living with both natural parents at 9 months– 32% compared with 12% Children living with cohabiting natural parents at 9 months were much more likely to experience a change in family type by 5 years than children living with married natural parents at 9 months– 24% compared with 8%

  7. Results 3: Change in family type from 9 months to 5 years – living with both natural parents at 9 months

  8. Results 4: Change in family type from 9 months to 5 years – living with lone natural mother at 9 months

  9. Results 5: Change in family type from 9 months to 5 years – living with married natural parents at 9 months

  10. Results 6: Change in family type from 9 months to 5 years – living with married natural parents at 9 months

  11. Summary so far….. For the vast majority of children, family type was stable in the first five years of life – though this data is likely to underestimate change as comparing two fixed points in time The minority of children living with a lone natural parent or cohabiting natural parents at 9 months were much more ‘at risk’ of experiencing a change in family type in the first five years of life However, family life in the first five years of life is very different for children of younger mothers

  12. Results 7: Family type at 5 years for children with mothers under 25 The most common family type for children with mothers under 25 was living with a lone natural parent – 48% compared with 17% overall Living with a natural mother and step-father was much more common for children with mothers under 25 – 14% compared with 4% overall Living with both natural parents was much less common for children with mothers under 25 – 35% compared with 77% overall Living with married natural parents was the least common of the(major) family types at 5 years - 12% compared with 63% overall

  13. Results 8: Change in family type from 9 months to 5 years for children with mothers under 25 A significant proportion of children with mothers under 25 experienced a change in family type between 9 months and 5 years – 39% compared with 15% overall Children living with both natural parents at 9 months were more likely to experience change in family type in the first five years if their mother was under 25 – 43% compared with 12% overall Children living with lone natural mothers at 9 months were more likely to be living with a step-father by 5 years if their mother was under 25 – 18% compared with 12% overall

  14. Results 9: Change in family type from 9 months to 5 years for children with mothers under 25 – living with both natural parents at 9 months

  15. Results 10: Change in family type from 9 months to 5 years for children with mothers under 25 – living with lone natural mother at 9 months

  16. Results 11: Change in family type from 9 months to 5 years for children with mothers under 25 – living with married natural parents at 9 months

  17. Results 12: Change in family type from 9 months to 5 years for children with mothers under 25 – living with married natural parents at 9 months

  18. Summary Minority of children (1 in 7) were living in a different family type at 5 years than at 9 months Some groups of children were much more likely to experience family change: Living with lone natural mother at 9 months Living with cohabiting natural parents at 9 months Living with a teenage mother at 9 months For some children this family change may have been associated with a strengthening of ties between their natural parents (although less evidence of this for children with younger mothers)

  19. Policy Implications Support for polices which encourage young women to delay childbearing and reduce teen pregnancy rate Families with young mothers may benefit from further targeted support?

  20. More information aboutthe birth cohort studies atwww.cls.ioe.ac.uk Institute of Education University of London 20 Bedford Way London WC1H 0AL Tel +44 (0)20 7612 6000 Fax +44 (0)20 7612 6126 Email info@ioe.ac.uk Web www.ioe.ac.uk

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