In 1984, Ronald Reagan proclaimed that 21 March would become National Single Parent Day. The president stated, “many single parents in America are making valiant efforts on behalf of their children under trying circumstances”.
According to the US Census Bureau, single parents now represent one in three US families where children live with their parents (the data is footnoted to say that this includes parents of biological, step and adopted children).
Back in 1950, when marriage was more common and divorce more difficult, these figures looked very different. Just 7% of all parents living with their children were single.
This is a column that illustrates numbers from the news each week. Have feedback or ideas for future columns? Write to me: mona.chalabi@theguardian.com