This report presents findings on the well-being of American children from the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), a longitudinal study conducted at 4 month intervals by the U.S. Census Bureau. Data were collected in fall 1994 and include a variety of indicators to portray children's experiences while growing up, such as differences…

This booklet presents a summary of the results of a survey of 1,000 Texan families with children under 6 years of age. The survey (commissioned by the Texas Department of Community Affairs in 1973) was conducted to gather data on families (e.g., age, income level, and education of parents), the health and development of children, and child care…

Opponents of the legal recognition of homosexual unions have based their arguments in part on the premise that children brought up by parents of the same sex face significant social and psychological disadvantages. Presenting a longitudinal study of 25 children raised in lesbian mother families, and a comparison group raised by single heterosexual…

The Family Development Research Program was distinctive in its omnibus conceptualization of program, providing a full complement of education, nutrition, health and safety, and human service resources to 108 families from the prenatal period of their children until the children reached elementary school age. All families had an income of less than…

The present and future of the American family are discussed in a collection of four papers. The first paper, by Mary Jo Bane, identifies trends in demographic and structural features of families, including fertility rates, marriage trends, divorce rates, household headship rates, and the proportion of women in the labor force. Societies' changing…

Analyzes the separate effects of father absence and mother absence on the grades and standardized test scores of high school students. Uses parents' and students' behavior and family economic status as competing intervening variables to explain the effects. Concludes that students from single-parent homes are less willing or able to meet academic…

This Kids Count Data Book examines statewide trends in the well-being of Alaska's children. The statistical portrait is based on key indicators in six areas: (1) infancy, including prenatal care, low birth weight, and infant mortality; (2) economic well-being, including children living in poverty, children in single-parent households, and births…

This report provides an overview of the numbers, characteristics, and economic situation of lone-parent families in the European Community. The report aims to take at least a first step toward providing information that would enable policy-makers to address the problems faced by single-parent families. The report concludes that women's…

The tables of child poverty presented in this document are the most comprehensive estimates of child poverty across the industrialized world. Based on an analysis of the latest data from the Luxembourg Income Study of household surveys, the first figure shows the proportion of children living in poverty in 23 nations of the Organisation for…

The language of twins allows researchers in language development to examine acquisition in a unique environment. Researchers investigating the nature-nurture controversy, the order of acquisition, and other linguistic features find the twin situation particularly interesting because of the children's shared genetic makeup and environment. A…

Recent studies indicate that single mothers experience unusually high levels of psychological distress. The purpose of this paper is to compare rival explanations for these high levels. Four hypotheses are tested: (1) the psychological well-being of single mothers, relative to married parents, declines over time; (2) changes in psychological…

The problem of discrimination against families within the context of changing sex roles and the growing diversity of family structure is discussed in this paper. It begins with an analysis of underlying social trends, then focuses on sex discrimination and discrimination against different family types and concludes with an interpretation of…

This study compares various approaches for incorporating family risk factors in explanatory models of children's achievement over the first 4 years of school. Living in poverty, in a single-parent household, in a household whose primary home language is non-English, and having a mother with less than a high school diploma are well-known risk…

This brief focuses on the role of fathers in contributing to children's well-being. The brief notes that collecting better data on fathers is vital to federal and state efforts to reform the welfare and child support systems and that understanding fathers' roles in their children's lives could help parents and social service providers better…

One of the critical elements of children's healthy development is the participation of parents in important activities in their children's lives. This research brief reports on the involvement of fathers in their children's lives. The brief focuses on the involvement of fathers who live with their children, including single fathers raising their…