Final answer:
Traditional family structures have shifted due to trends like the increase in single-parent homes, the aging population, and economic pressures influencing both parents to work. This has resulted in diversified family types, including increased cohabitation and stepfamilies. Such changes can affect children's financial and educational advantages, highlighting the importance of stable marital status for child development.
Step-by-step explanation:
Societal trends that contribute to changes in traditional family structures include an increase in single-parent homes, an aging population, a large number of children and elderly in poverty, the rise of both parents working and interested in their careers, an increase in step families, and the societal pressure to keep up with the Joneses. There's also a trend of having no extended family in close proximity, and a decrease in time spent together in family activities. Today's families might also include unmarried couples, same-sex couples, and single-adult households, contributing to a rise in income inequality across households.
Changes in family structure impact children, with U.S. Census statistics showing that children in homes with both parents tend to have more financial and educational advantages compared to those in single-parent homes. Marriage between parents is generally beneficial for children, as parental marital status is a significant indicator of a child's advancement. On the flip side, six in ten children living with only their mother live near or below the poverty level. This connects to the fact that never-married parents are typically younger, have fewer years of schooling, and thus lower incomes, influencing the opportunities available for their children.