Tag Archive for: census

Single fatherhood on the rise in Wisconsin

Records obtained from the most recent U.S. Census indicate that an increasing number of single fathers have custody of their children in Wisconsin.

The number of homes in which a single father is raising children under the age of 18 has grown by 35 percent since 2000. Households headed by single men with minor children numbered 57,788. This represents the largest growth in family households in Wisconsin.

About 146,000 households in Wisconsin are managed by single moms, representing a 13 percent increase. Couples who are married with children still represent the bulk of households in the state at 68.5 percent though that number is down by about 10 percent since the previous census in 2000.

The transition to being a single parent is not always easy for new parents who often can’t anticipate what managing a household alone with children entails. Single parents call attention to the importance of communicating with the children and being honest with them. Others speak of the need to adjust and to include time for themselves during the day.

Many single-parent households are the product of divorce. However, many single parents are never married. As family law attorneys are seeing a shift towards more single-parent households in Wisconsin, the type of family law cases we handle shift as well. When parents are divorced, the divorce decree will specify the terms of child custody, visitation and child support. On the other hand, when parents are never married, these important issues can be settled in a paternity lawsuit.

Source: GreenwichTime.com, “Census data shows more homes led by single dads,” 19 June 2011

Census finds change in Wisconsin divorce and marriage patterns

According to a recent analysis of data from the U.S. Census, people in Wisconsin are getting married and filing for divorce at a slower pace than couples living in the rest of the nation. In the years since the Census Bureau began keeping track of both marriages and divorces in 2008, it found that Wisconsin’s marriage and divorce rates lagged behind the national average.

According to the Census data, only 1.7 percent of Wisconsin men and 1.6 percent of Wisconsin women got married in 2009, compared with the national average of 1.9 percent for men and 1.8 percent for women.

Diana Elliot, a demographer with the Census Bureau, says that these two numbers are strongly related. She believes that many people are delaying marriage, and divorce rates will fall when there are fewer marriages. In fact, delaying marriage is part of a larger national trend. Over the past forty years, the average age at which a man marries has increased to 28 and the average woman married about the age of 26, reflecting an increase of about six years.

However, just because people are delaying marriage does not mean that that are putting off relationships. Cohabitation and having children out of wedlock is becoming increasingly common in Wisconsin. With that in mind, it is important to note the legal ramifications of having children out of wedlock.

When a married couple divorces, the issues of child support, child custody, alimony, and marital property division are resolved in the divorce order. When an unmarried couple with children separates, there is no divorce order. When a mother never marries a child’s father, a paternity lawsuit is needed to determine the issues of child support, child custody and visitation.

Source: The Superior Telegram, “Wisconsin marriage and divorce rates trail the nation’s,” Teresa Shipley, Aug. 25, 2011

Married couples now lead fewer than half of Milwaukee households

Just as the face of the American family has changed, the way family law affects Wisconsin families has changed over the years. Just over 20 years ago, more than 60 percent of family households in Milwaukee were occupied by married couples.

In 2000, 55 percent of family homes in Milwaukee were occupied by a married couple. Today, only 49.5 percent of family homes are occupied by married people. Now, single parents lead the majority of family households in Milwaukee, according to the latest U.S. Census figures. The latest statistics say that women running households without husbands are four times more common than men without wives.

Roberta Coles, the chair of Marquette University social and cultural sciences department, says the trend is no surprise in a society where marriage has lost some of its charm. Coles also blames the economy. In some cases, Coles says, couples want to be married but just can’t afford it.

Even without the commitment of marriage, people are still in plenty of relationships and they are still having children. Some couples are waiting for the right financial moment to tie the knot, while others are completing education and career goals before marrying.

With poverty prevalent in Milwaukee, Coles says it’s likely that brides and grooms will continue to wait to walk down the aisle. The Marquette University chair said that poverty reduces the likelihood of marriage and increases cohabitation.

It is important to note that an increase in the number of children born to single parents has a significant impact on family law in Wisconsin. While a drop in marriage rates is likely to produce a drop in divorce rates, an increase in the rate of children born to single parents will make different types of family court proceedings more important. Without a divorce case that decides family issues, child support and child custody cases will be needed to determine both parents’ rights and obligations towards their children.

Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, “Married couples dip below half of Milwaukee family households,” Georgia Pabst and Ben Poston, 5/11/2011