„h 18 per cent of children were in one-parent families and 8 per cent were in step or blended families.

„h The vast majority of children, who had a natural parent living elsewhere, were in the sole care of the parent with whom they lived, while 3 per cent of children had parents who shared care more evenly between them.

„h Younger children were likely to visit the parent they did not live with more frequently than older children.

„h 42 per cent of families (199,200 one-parent families and 53,700 step and blended families) received cash child support from the other parent .

„h A further 16 per cent of families received support such as clothing, pocket money and assistance with school fees.

„h 41 per cent of families received no child support from the other parent.

„h Around one-third of all families receiving cash child support received, on average, $100 or less per month per child.

„h For one-parent families, the median income for families receiving child support was $18,200, while for those not receiving child su

The summary of findings will also present detailed tables on family composition and marital status, including a life-stage classification of families by age of youngest child or age of spouse (in the case of couple families without children). Life-stage information helps to identify the nature of caring activities in families and so is particularly useful for analysing employment statistics.

The number of children of any age living in two-parent families is projected to decline, from 4.8 million in 1996 to between 4.1 and 4.7 million in 2021. This decline is associated with declining fertility and with the increasing tendency for children to live in one-parent families. In contrast, the number of children living with one parent is projected to remain the same as in 1996 at 1.1 million, or to increase to 1.9 million by 2021. In one of the three series (Series C) it is projected that almost one-third (31%) of 0V4 year olds will be living with one parent in 2021.

The age groups 15V34 years are of particular importance in family and household formation. In 1996, over one-third of young adults (35% or 1.9 million) lived with either one or both of their parents, over one-quarter (27% or 1.5 million) were parents themselves and 15% (827,000) were partners in couple families without children.

Some common words found in the essay are:
MAIN FINDINGS, Agency ABS, FAMILY TYPES, ARRANGEMENTS ADULTS, ARRANGEMENTS CHILDREN, Characteristics Survey, child support, couple families, families children, one-parent families, couple families children, projected increase, receiving child, receiving child support, families received, children parents, step blended, families receiving, LIVING ARRANGEMENTS, median income families, families receiving child, families median income,
Approximate Word count = 902
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)