Household Structure & Family Roles

For Mother’s Day, here’s a snapshot of what motherhood looks like in the U.S. today, drawn from government data and Pew Research Center surveys.

One-in-three U.S. adults ages 18 to 34 live in their parents’ home, according to U.S. Census Bureau data from 2021.

Among married couples in the United States, women’s financial contributions have grown steadily over the last half century. Even when earnings are similar, husbands spend more time on paid work and leisure, while wives devote more time to caregiving and housework.

36% of Americans say that more young adults living with their parents is bad for society, while 16% say it is good for society.

A quarter of U.S. adults ages 25 to 34 resided in a multigenerational family household in 2021, up from 9% in 1971.

Nearly four-in-ten men ages 25 to 29 now live with older relatives.

47% of U.S. adults say single women raising children on their own is generally a bad thing for society, an increase of 7 points since 2018.

Indians nearly universally say it is important for women to have the same rights as men, including eight-in-ten who say this is very important.

Indians accept women as political leaders, but many favor traditional gender roles in family life.

The reasons Americans without children don't expect to have them range from just not wanting to have kids to concerns about climate change.