The statistic above provides information about the the share of stay-at-home parents in the United States, by gender. In 1989, about 90 percent of stay-at-home parents were mothers.

This statistic shows the number of stay-at-home mothers in the United States in 1970, 2000 and 2012. In 1970, the number of mothers, who were staying at home with working husbands, stood at 11.6 million.

This survey, conducted in the United States in 2012, shows the share of fathers and mothers who were stay-at-home parents at the time. In 2012, 16 percent of stay-at-home parents in the United States were fathers.

This statistic shows the average number of hours per week spent by mothers in the United States on various activities as of 2012. In 2012, stay-at-home mothers spent an average of 18 hours per week in childcare activities, seven hours more than working mothers.

In 2023, there were about 15.09 million children living with a single mother in the United States, and about 3.05 million children living with a single father. The number of children living with a single mother is down from its peak in 2012, and the number of children living with a single father is down from its peak in 2005.

Marriage and divorce in the United States

Despite popular opinion in the United States that “half of all marriages end in divorce,” the divorce rate in the U.S. has fallen significantly since 1992. The marriage rate, which has also been decreasing since the 1990s, was still higher than the divorce rate in 2021. Half of all marriages may not end in divorce, but it does seem that fewer people are choosing to get married in the first place.

New family structures

In addition to a falling marriage rate, fewer people in the U.S. have children under the age of 18 living in the house in comparison to 1970. Over the past decade, the share of families with children under 18, whether that be married couples or single parents, has stayed mostly steady, although the number of births in the U.S. has also fallen.

This statistic shows the results of a survey in the United States on the increase of working mothers with young children. The survey was conducted in 2010. As of 2010, 37 percent of the respondents thought the increase of working mothers with young children is a bad thing, whereas 38 percent thought it makes no difference.

According to a survey conducted in 2022, 67 percent of working mothers with children younger than 18 in the household reported feeling a great deal of pressure to focus on their responsibilities at home in the United States, compared to 45 percent of working fathers.

This statistic shows the primary baby supply retailer among stay-at-home mothers in the United States in 2016. In 2016, 49 percent of respondents stated that their primary baby supply retailer was Walmart, double that of the next most preferred primary retailer, Target, at 28 percent.

Gen Z and millennial men in the United States are more likely to live with their parents than women in the same age group. In 2023, approximately 11 percent of women aged 25 to 34 lived in their parents' home, compared to almost 19 percent of men. When looking at the age group of 18 to 24, the difference was less drastic.

This statistic shows the primary cleaning supply retailer among stay-at-home mothers in the United States in 2016. In 2016, 56 percent of respondents stated that their primary cleaning supply retailer was Walmart, more than triple that of the next most popular primary retailer, Target, at 15 percent.

The typical American picture of a family with 2.5 kids might not be as relevant as it once was: In 2023, there was an average of 1.94 children under 18 per family in the United States. This is a decrease from 2.33 children under 18 per family in 1960.

Familial structure in the United States

If there’s one thing the United States is known for, it’s diversity. Whether this is diversity in ethnicity, culture, or family structure, there is something for everyone in the U.S. Two-parent households in the U.S. are declining, and the number of families with no children are increasing. The number of families with children has stayed more or less constant since 2000.

Adoptions in the U.S.

Families in the U.S. don’t necessarily consist of parents and their own biological children. In 2021, around 35,940 children were adopted by married couples, and 13,307 children were adopted by single women.

According to a 2019 survey on mothers in the United States, 74 percent of responding moms stated that they shopped online due to the variety of products available. The same share of respondents also cited easy of use as a reason for e-commerce usage.

This statistic shows the distribution of factors that impact the decision of stay at home mothers to remain unemployed in the United States in 2016, by the factor's importance. As of 2016, 54 percent of female respondents in the United States stated that wanting to stay home with children was a major factor in not returning to the workforce.

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

The General Household Survey (GHS), ran from 1971-2011 (the UKDS holds data from 1972-2011). It was a continuous annual national survey of people living in private households, conducted by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The main aim of the survey was to collect data on a range of core topics, covering household, family and individual information. This information was used by government departments and other organisations for planning, policy and monitoring purposes, and to present a picture of households, families and people in Great Britain. In 2008, the GHS became a module of the Integrated Household Survey (IHS). In recognition, the survey was renamed the General Lifestyle Survey (GLF). The GLF closed in January 2012. The 2011 GLF is therefore the last in the series. A limited number of questions previously run on the GLF were subsequently included in the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (OPN).

Secure Access GHS/GLF
The UKDS holds standard access End User Licence (EUL) data for 1972-2006. A Secure Access version is available, covering the years 2000-2011 - see SN 6716 General Lifestyle Survey, 2000-2011: Secure Access.

History
The GHS was conducted annually until 2011, except for breaks in 1997-1998 when the survey was reviewed, and 1999-2000 when the survey was redeveloped. Further information may be found in the ONS document An overview of 40 years of data (General Lifestyle Survey Overview - a report on the 2011 General Lifestyle Survey) (PDF). Details of changes each year may be found in the individual study documentation.

EU-SILC
In 2005, the European Union (EU) made a legal obligation (EU-SILC) for member states to collect additional statistics on income and living conditions. In addition, the EU-SILC data cover poverty and social exclusion. These statistics are used to help plan and monitor European social policy by comparing poverty indicators and changes over time across the EU. The EU-SILC requirement was integrated into the GHS/GLF in 2005. After the closure of the GLF, EU-SILC was collected via the Family Resources Survey (FRS) until the UK left the EU in 2020.

Reformatted GHS data 1973-1982 - Surrey SPSS Files
SPSS files were created by the University of Surrey for all GHS years from 1973 to 1982 inclusive. The early files were restructured and the case changed from the household to the individual with all of the household information duplicated for each individual. The Surrey SPSS files contain all the original variables as well as some extra derived variables (a few variables were omitted from the data files for 1973-76). In 1973 only, the section on leisure was not included in the Surrey SPSS files. This has subsequently been made available, however, and is now held in a separate study, General Household Survey, 1973: Leisure Questions (SN 3982). Records for the original GHS 1973-1982 ASCII files have been removed from the UK Data Archive catalogue, but the data are still preserved and available upon request.

The main GHS consisted of a household questionnaire, completed by the Household Reference Person (HRP), and an individual questionnaire, completed by all adults aged 16 and over resident in the household. A number of different trailers each year covering extra topics were included in later (post-review) surveys in the series from 2000.

• The household questionnaire covered the following topics: household information, accommodation type, housing tenure/costs, and consumer durables including vehicle ownership.
• The individual questionnaire included data from the household dataset, and additional sections on migration/citizenship/national identity/ethnicity, employment, pensions, education, health, child care, smoking, drinking, family information, financial situation, and income.