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Family Figures: ESRI report
08 Mar 10
The most detailed study to date of trends in the structure of Irish families, Family Figures, has just been launched and was funded by the Family Support Agency. Researchers from the ESRI and UCD analysed Census data made available for the first time in cooperation with the Central Statistics Office. The report contains many new findings relating to trends in partnership and childbearing between 1986 and 2006.
On fertility:
• Most women now delay having children beyond 30 years of age, with the majority now having two or three. Over one-in-six women now have no children at age 45.
• The higher a woman's educational attainment, the longer she is likely to delay having children and the fewer children she is likely to have. Fertility rates also vary by region, nationality, ethnicity and religion
On lone parenthood:
• There are over 10,000 lone fathers, almost all from broken marriages.
• In 2006, 57% of lone parents had never married. The proportion of lone parents who experienced a marital breakdown was 35% and is increasing.
• Women describing themselves as Catholic or Church of Ireland are also more likely to be never-married lone mothers.
On singlehood and couple formation:
• By 2006, twice as many 25 year-olds were cohabiting as were married. Cohabitation is mostly a prelude to marriage, but an increasing number of cohabiting couples have children, suggesting cohabitation may be a preferred option among a minority.
Family Figures contains many more results relating to changes in family structures between 1986 - 2006 and can be found at esri.ie
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