Life Stages: Family and Parenting

The average family size is decreasing.

In the UK, it's quite common for both spouses to work.

Parks are a popular place for families to spend time together.

Family Structure

The family in Britain has undergone substantial change during the 20th century. A British family headed by two parents is being increasingly replaced by single-person households, which began to outnumber married families around 2020.

The socially accepted norm of having children inside wedlock no longer exists today, and nearly 40 percent of children in Britain are born to cohabiting parents. The number of single-parent families is also increasing as a result of increasing divorce rates and many women choosing to have children without being married. More and more people are relating parenthood to the loss of personal freedom, reduced career prospects, and overwhelming financial commitments.

Roles of Family Members

Although both men and women work in the UK, men are still seen in the bread-winning role. The fact that women receive lower pay than men and tend to be concentrated in part-time employment may also contribute to the stereotyped role of men as breadwinners.

Despite government policies and social consensus on gender equality, women have a greater share of domestic responsibility in most families and spend nearly three times as much time as men in childcare. Although younger people have egalitarian views regarding the division of labor at home, many men are unable to carry it through as a practical matter due to their long and inflexible work schedules.  

With a record number of women working to meet large mortgage payments and escalating household bills, family life in Britain is under great stress. Rising childcare costs make it particularly stressful for working parents with children under 4 years of age.  

Family patterns vary greatly depending on individual values, income, the professional lives of the parents, and the number of children. In a typical middle-class family with both parents working, the family members are out of their homes by 8:30 a.m. after a hurried breakfast. Children are dropped at school and sometimes given a packed lunch. Many children attend after-school classes in music, dance, or sporting activities. In most families, the mother picks up the kids after work and brings them home after a brief stop to shop. The father usually returns home much later than the rest of the family.

Family Time

Favorite family activities include reading the newspaper, watching television or video, listening to music, and reading. The English are also fond of gardening, and even apartment-dwellers indulge their fondness for the hobby by growing plants in window boxes. The English are also fond of fishing, horse riding, walking (or “rambling”), soccer, cricket, and rugby. Many of them go to pubs for a drink and a meal, particularly over the weekends.    

Sharing a meal with the family is common among the Britons and happens whenever work timings permit. The usual hurried breakfast of cereal, toast or fruit is replaced by an elaborate cooked breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, beans, “bubble and squeak” (potato and cabbage fritters), and tomato on the weekends. Weekend dinners tend to be family events with a large, cooked meal, typically of fish or meat, with vegetables and rice or potatoes.

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