Key role: Although more fathers are separated from their children than ever before, those that do live with their offspring spend much more time with them than fathers of 30 years ago.(dailymail.co.uk) |
Nearly half of American dads under 45 this Father's Day say they have at least one child who was born out of wedlock. And the share of fathers living apart from children is more than double what it was just a few decades ago, according to a new study. But among married fathers, children are said to be getting more attention from both parents at home than ever before. A Pew Research Center report highlights the changing roles of parents as US marriage rates and traditional family households fall to historic lows. The study found that college-educated men who tend to marry and get better jobs are more involved with their children than lesser-skilled men struggling to get by. Pew's survey and analysis of US government data found that more than one in four fathers - 27 per cent - with children 18 or younger live away from at least one of their children. That number is more than double the share of fathers who lived apart from their children in 1960. But married fathers who live with their children are actually devoting more time helping their wives with caregiving at home - a task once seen almost exclusively as a woman's duty. Such fathers on average now spend about 6.5 hours a week on child care, which include playing, helping children with homework or taking them to activities. That's up from 2.6 hours in the 1960s. Among fathers with at least a bachelor's degree, only 13 percent had children outside marriage, compared to 51 percent of those with high school diplomas and 65 percent of those who didn't finish high school. Age, too, was a factor. Three quarters of fathers who were 20 to 24 had children out of wedlock, compared to 36 percent for fathers aged 35 to 44. The findings come as the latest US census data show that marriages have fallen to a record low, pushing the share of US households with married couples below 50 percent for the first time. Sociologists say younger people are increasingly choosing to live together but delay marriage as they struggle to find work and resist making long-term commitments. (Read by Lee Hannon. Lee Hannon is a journalist at the China Daily Website.) (Agencies)
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父親節(jié)即將來臨,而最新調(diào)查顯示,近半數(shù)的45歲以下的美國爸爸承認(rèn)至少有一名非婚生子女。 調(diào)查還顯示,與孩子分開居住的父親的比例是幾十年前的兩倍多。 但在已婚的父親中,孩子在家中從父母那里得到的關(guān)愛更多了。 皮尤調(diào)查中心的這份報告指出了父母角色的變化。美國的結(jié)婚率和傳統(tǒng)的家庭數(shù)量已跌至歷史低點。 研究發(fā)現(xiàn),與那些工作技能較低、疲于謀生的男性相比,結(jié)婚意愿較強、工作較好、接受過高等教育的父親與孩子的關(guān)系更親密。 通過調(diào)研分析美國政府提供的數(shù)據(jù),研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn),在孩子18歲及以下的父親中,超過四分之一(27%)與至少一名子女分開居住。這一比例是1960年的兩倍多。 但與孩子一同居住的已婚父親會花更多的時間幫助妻子照顧孩子,這項任務(wù)曾被視為女性的專職。這些父親平均每周花6.5個小時照顧孩子,包括陪孩子玩耍、幫孩子做作業(yè)、或者帶孩子參加其它活動,而上世紀(jì)60年代僅有2.6個小時。 在有學(xué)歷本科及以上的父親中,僅有13%有非婚生子女,而在僅有高中學(xué)歷的父親中該比例為51%,在沒讀完高中的父親中該比例高達(dá)65%。 年齡也是影響因素之一。20歲至24歲的父親中,75%有非婚生子女,35歲至44歲的父親中,這一比例為36%。 美國公布的最新人口普查數(shù)據(jù)顯示,結(jié)婚率降至歷史低點,已婚家庭比例不到一半,這在歷史上還是首次。 社會學(xué)家指出,越來越多的年輕人選擇同居,推遲婚期,因為他們忙于找工作,而且抗拒做出長久承諾。 相關(guān)閱讀 (中國日報網(wǎng)英語點津 Julie 編輯: 馮明惠) |
Vocabulary: born out of wedlock: 非婚生,wedlock指結(jié)婚生活,婚姻 get by:維持生計,勉強應(yīng)付 |