The number of U.S. families that fit the traditional mold will probably be in the minority in the 21st century, according to a new report on marriage and family.

The study was conducted by the General Social Survey (GSS) of the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago. Statistics from both government and private sources clearly demonstrate the bad news: the percentage of kids who live with both biological parents, who remain married, has dropped precipitously from 73% in 1972 to 51.7% in 1998. The view from another perspective is equally disheartening. Twenty-eight years ago 45% of households consisted of married couples with children. In 1998, that percentage had fallen to 26%.

The report said "families are smaller and less stable, marriage is less central and cohabitation more common, the value of children and values for children have altered, and within marriages gender roles have become less traditional and more egalitarian."

GSS Director Tom Smith said, "We had the old system [of marriage and family] in place for hundreds of years. We have made the transition to the new system in 30 years."

University of Chicago sociologist Linda Waite said statistics on unmarried mothers also indicate that the family is going through a dramatic upheaval. In 1970, she said, only 11% of all births were to unmarried mothers. By 1996, however, that percentage had jumped to 32%.

"If you add to that women who are divorced or cohabiting with children, marriage is seen today as much less important. And that is probably to the bad," she said.

Christians view the family as a critical institution ordained by God, and frequently lament the current trends. As it turns out, however, Christians don't always practice what they preach. Four of the five states that lead the nation in divorces are in the Bible Belt. Moreover, a study by the Barna Research Group, which focuses on religious trends in the U.S., found that people who self-identify as evangelical Christians are actually more likely to get divorced than non-Christians.

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