Living in one-parent families: relationships and attitudes of 16-year-olds

The proportions of 16-year-olds in the National Child Development Study who are not living with both their natural parents in 1974 are examined and compared with proportions in earlier follow-ups. The children who have ever lived in one-parent families are selected for more detailed examination, such as the reasons for their parental situation, the age their families broke up and the ratio of motherless to fatherless at each age. The children's view of their relationship with their parents or new parent figures and their attitudes towards their own future marriage and family are considered and compared with those of children still living with both their own parents. The overall conclusion is that the differences in these respects between children in one and two-parent families are very slight, suggesting that the attitudes of children in one-parent families towards their future family life have not been greatly affected by their own childhood experiences.