Center for Communications and Community

Drastic changes in American lifestyles have called into question the future of America's children. For instance, the lack of kinship networks -- a product of urbanization and increased individual mobility -- limits the traditional child rearing functions performed by members of the extended family. Rising divorce rates and an increase in "out-of-wedlock" births produce more single-parent households. And as more women enter the workforce -- particularly outside of the home -- the role of women in the family is at odds with the historical pattern of men being the primary "bread-winners" and women taking care of the home and the family. The net result is that finding suitable childcare services is now a central feature of American family life.