In 2001, there were 591,700 families with children living within New Zealand households, 81 percent of which contained dependent children (aged under 18 years and not in full-time employment).
The number of families with dependent children increased by 6.6 percent in the decade to 2001, compared with just 1.5 percent in the previous decade. The most significant change in families in the past two decades has been the shift from two-parent to one-parent families. This was more pronounced in the 1980s, when the share of one-parent families increased from 14 to 24 percent, than in the 1990s, when it rose to 29 percent. One-parent families are expected to continue to increase, but at a slower rate. Family projections based on trends since 1986 suggest that by 2021, one-parent families are likely to make up around 35 percent of all families with dependent children. For many of these families there will be parents living in another household who are actively involved in the care and upbringing of the children.
Table P3 Families with dependent children, by family type, 1976 to 2001
| 1976 | 1981 | 1986 | 1991 | 1996 | 2001 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | ||||||
| Two-parent family | 398,772 | 380,886 | 363,489 | 339,681 | 346,086 | 339,159 |
| One-parent family | 46,296 | 62,280 | 82,632 | 110,055 | 126,585 | 140,178 |
| Mother only | 39,153 | 52,938 | 71,388 | 92,028 | 107,394 | 117,018 |
| Father only | 7,143 | 9,342 | 11,244 | 18,024 | 19,191 | 23,163 |
| Total families | 445,068 | 443,166 | 446,121 | 449,736 | 472,671 | 479,337 |
| Percentage distribution | ||||||
| Two-parent family | 89.6 | 85.9 | 81.5 | 75.5 | 73.2 | 70.8 |
| One-parent family | 10.4 | 14.1 | 18.5 | 24.5 | 26.8 | 29.2 |
| Mother only | 8.8 | 11.9 | 16.0 | 20.5 | 22.7 | 24.4 |
| Father only | 1.6 | 2.1 | 2.5 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 4.8 |
| Total families | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
Sources: Statistics New Zealand,
published and unpublished census data
Note: The census definition of child dependency has changed over time.
From 1996, a dependent child is a person aged less than 18 years who is
not in full-time employment. For earlier years, a dependent child is a
person under 16 years or aged 16-18 and still at school
New Zealand has a relatively high proportion of families with children under 18 headed by sole parents, second only to the United States (31 percent in 2001) and higher than the United Kingdom (22 percent), Australia and Canada (both 21 percent).
