Traditional family is heading into history

By WARREN GAMBLE

The typical "mum, dad and kids" New Zealand family is heading the same way as milk in glass bottles and red telephone boxes.

Government statistics collated to mark the United Nations International Day of Families today show that while four out of five New Zealanders still live as part of a family unit, the makeup of such families is rapidly changing.

Two-parent families are still the most common - 44.9 per cent of all families in the 1996 census. Catching up fast are couple-only families (37.3 per cent) and one-parent families (17.7 per cent).

The couple-only category - which mainly includes childless couples and "empty nest" parents whose children have left home, plus some same-sex couples - has seen the biggest rise since the 1991 census.

Couple-only families have grown by 15.5 per cent, compared with a 10.9 per cent increase in one-parent families.

The growth of the traditional two-parent family has nearly stalled - just a 0.6 per cent increase in the five years from 1991 to 1996.

The average number of children in a family was 1.95, continuing a steady decline from 2.49 in 1966. People having children are getting older, with a median age of 29 in 1998 compared with 25 in 1971.

The Minister of Social Services and Employment, Steve Maharey, said it was time to acknowledge that the days of the nuclear, European-style family unit had gone. Many children were growing up in sole-parent, reconstituted and extended families.

The focus of policy had been on the breakdown and attempted restoration of old family structures, rather than supporting the new forms existing now, he said. For example, as long as sole parents were "able to provide love, discipline and sound nurturing, things are going to be OK."

The Government could make those demands easier through strengthening areas such as after-school care and family-friendly work practices, said Mr Maharey, and he cited recent legislative and policy initiatives such as paid parental leave and a review of the outmoded Guardianship Act dealing with parenting after a relationship breakdown.

Although the Government could not legislate attitude changes, it had a lead role in public debate, such as encouraging fathers to stay involved with their children after a breakup.

"It's about really providing an environment which reflects the fact the world has changed, and the diversity of families deserve support for the single reason that kids deserve a good upbringing."

Among other trends identified in statistics prepared for the minister was an increase in the number of young adults living at home - more than two-thirds of 15 to 19-year-olds and a third of 20 to 24-year-olds in 1996. Contributing factors included longer periods of education, high unemployment and changes in state support for young people.

Economic factors were also behind a decline in families where the father was sole breadwinner: nearly two-thirds had both parents working and half of those were in fulltime jobs (defined as more than 30 hours a week).

As part of that trend, nearly a third of mothers with babies under one year had returned to the workforce.

Maori are more likely to live in families with dependent children (81 per cent) and less likely to be just couples (11 per cent) than non-Maori, and are more likely to live in an extended family. A third of sole-parent families were Maori in 1996.

Eighty-three per cent of Pacific Island people lived in families with dependent children - the highest proportion of any ethnic group.

* Statistics New Zealand figures released yesterday showed the number of people marrying increased last year for the second consecutive year.

There were 950 more marriages than in 1998, an increase reflected in the marriage rate, which rose from 15.7 per 1000 to 16.2 last year. However, the rate is still well short of the peak of 45.5 recorded in 1971. The trend towards later marriage, now at age 28.9 for men and 27 for women, continues.