The statistics and data provided by the 2010 Census continue to provide insightful information into the state of the American family for divorce lawyers in Pasadena. Recent analysis of the numbers have shown that divorce in America has dropped from 50 percent to 43 percent. And now a new study examining the results of the census finds that extended families are living under one roof for longer.
Experts say the reasons families are living together longer are economic, social and demographic. As part of the fallout of the recession, extended families are sharing living space in an era when the average age for first marriage has jumped up to 28.7 for men and 26.5 for women.
"The divorce rate now - it's been 50 percent for maybe hovering on 30 years - it's now down to 43 percent because of young women... and young men, who are marrying later, marrying smarter, with two separate incomes, and two separate lives in a way," author Iris Krasnow said.
In addition, life expectancy, now 75.7 average for men and 80.6 for women, continues to be on the rise. Add in the explosion of immigrants into this country and we begin to see why so many extended families are all under one roof. With the predicted economic climate not expected to change soon, analysts say that the extended family is going to be a force in the American landscape for several years.
And data from the Current Population Survey show that between 2005 and 2011, the number of young adults ages 25 to 34 living with mom and dad rose from 14 percent to 19 percent for men and from 8 percent to 10 percent for women. The numbers, released this month, also suggest that more parents are caring for elderly parents in their homes instead of paying for assisted living facilities.
"Siblings are supporting each other. Brothers-in-law are supporting their wives' sisters and brothers," says social psychologist Susan Newman in an interview with USA Today. "Other cultures have always lived in multigenerational families. We are slowly seeing that happening here."