How big is your family?

The most common type of household in England, Scotland and Wales today consists of a couple, either living together or married. About half of the couples have one or more children.

Twenty-eight per cent of households consist of people who live on their own. Most are widows, but there has been a big increase in the number of men who live alone. This is because so many couples get divorced. Men often live on their own after getting divorced, whereas women often live with their children.

Nowadays, 10 per cent of families are lone parents with children. Women are usually the head of the household. Just over 20 per cent of families with children are headed by single mothers, with 2 per cent headed by a lone father.

1

What is your idea of a typical British family? Which of the following phrases describes your idea best?

a  Unmarried lone mother, with two children.

b  Young couple, living together, without children.

c  Elderly couple, married, whose children have left home.

d  Divorced man, living alone.

e  Married couple, with child(ren) living at home.

2

Read the text to find out if you are right.

3

Can you think of people who...

a  have no children?

b  live on their own?

4

a  Would you like to live on your own? Why (not)?

b  When do you think you will leave home?

Michael Vaughan-Rees, Geraldine Sweeney, Picot Cassidy: In Britain; Cornelsen Verlag, 2000, page 34