Why American Families Need the Census

Stephanie Coontz
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Stephanie Coontz: Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington and the Council on Contemporary Families

The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 2010, vol. 631, issue 1, 141-149

Abstract: This article examines how family researchers use federal statistics, particularly from the U.S. Census, to understand the realities of trends concerning the family unit. The article shows that these data have helped researchers to understand the major, largely irreversible revolution that has taken place in America in the ways that people engage in family formation, make interpersonal commitments, and take on caregiving obligations. In addition, the article makes clear the importance of understanding these changes to make and evaluate policy, such as governmental efforts to promote marriage. The article also shows the usefulness of federal data in allowing researchers to track the development of a new stage of life, termed by some the “age of independence†or “emerging adulthood,†and points to the need to keep fine-tuning, rethinking, and updating the categories that are being measured.

Keywords: American women social patterns; divorce in America; American Time Use Survey; single mothers; female education (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2010
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:anname:v:631:y:2010:i:1:p:141-149

DOI: 10.1177/0002716210373877

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