The American Family

Family dynamics in the US are changing fast. As much as it becomes tedious from time to time to witness the share of media space taken by "the Boomer Generation", there is absolutely no denying its power and influence over the US economy, both in business and in home economics.

A recent article published by USA Today showed figures that are changing dramatically, given the aging Boomer population and their children. As their kids head to college, the % of children under 18 living at home has hit its lowest point (46%) in half a century.

This has as much to do with the journey of the Boomer generation into older age...and the corresponding aging of their kids as it does with other trends happenning in other generations. Gen X, for example put more women on a path for richly-rewarding careers, but also for later starts of motherhood - at it could be argued, more deliberate and slow-paced starts of families.

The recent article also pointed out some startling figures for home dynamics and also showed that this country still has dramatic differences between races. An obvious statement, but these figures are shocking. 85% of Asian families have 2 parents at home and 78% of white families have 2 parents at home. This contrasts with 38% of African American families.

Will we see more scholarship on family demographics in the coming decade - these seismic shifts are profound. This article points out that we need to be sensitive to not only the most macro developments, but also to the developments within key population segments.