NCJ Number
122401
Date Published
1987
Length
297 pages
Annotation
This re-examination of the status of America's children and families focuses on population and residence, family environment, parental employment and child care, income and economic well-being, education, health and health-related behaviors, behavior and attitudes, and selected government programs affecting children.
Abstract
Families with children comprise only 36 percent of all American households, and children continue to decrease as a share of the entire population. Between 1980-88, the number of children living only with their mother increased by 21 percent. During the 1980's, the proportion of children under 18 years old with working mothers increased from 53 percent in 1980 to 60 percent in 1988. Throughout the 1980's, the most profound influence on families has been the mounting economic pressures, which have diminished family resources and made more children more vulnerable to various threats, including child abuse, family disintegration requiring out-of-home placement, and delinquency. Hispanic and black children are at particular risk. Positive signs are that minority youth have improved in academic achievement scores, and parents' academic levels have improved. Tabular data and graphs.