Family composition parents work and the need for child care among preschool children: 1940-1987.

Initial results are presented from the 1980 census monograph on children focusing on the extent to which decreases have occurred in the proportion of preschool children who have either their mother or father available in the home to provide full-time child care. The monograph will analyze in detail the changing social economic and demographic circumstances of children for the 1940-80 period using Public Use Microdata Samples from each of the 5 censuses during this era. Estimates derived from the 1987 Current Population Survey also are included. Focus here is on children who were age 0-5 at each census date and in 1987. The proportion living with 2 parents remained stable at about 90% between the Great Depression and 1970 but then dropped to 79% by 1980. In 1987 about 73% lived with 2 parents. The proportion living with 1 parent also remained stable at 5-7% between the Great Depression and 1960. By 1980 the proportion living with 1 parent rose to 16%; it was 22% in 1980. Most of the increase in the proportion living with 1 parent was accounted for by corresponding increases in the proportion living with mother only. The proportion living with no parents changed little since the Great Depression remaining within the 3-5% range. Among preschool children who lived with 2 parents during 1940 92% had a father in the labor force and a mother not in the labor force. This traditional situation dropped to 87% in 1950 to 81% in 1960 to 74% in 1970 and to 58% by 1980. By 1987 about 1/2 of all children living with 2 parents were living with a father in the labor force and a mother not in the labor force. Most of this decrease was accounted for by a corresponding increase in the proportion living with a father and a mother both in the labor force. Throughout the last 5 decades for preschool children living with 1 parent only their chances of having the parent available in the home to provide full-time child care varied between 45-55%. By 1987 1/2 of preschool children did not live with either a mother or a father who was available to provide full-time child care. These children required some other child care arrangement which involves split-shift or part-time work on the part of the parents to enable them to together provide full-time care or the children were in need of nonparental sources of child care. The large long-term increase in the need for nonparental care has been met increasingly by individuals who live outside of the childs household.