It is probably no coincidence that this trend has occurred at the same time that family values became a potent political slogan.
Nuclear family is defined as a mother and father together with their offspring.
As a percentage of households, these families dropped from 25.6 in 1990 to 23.5 in 2000. The declining percentage is due to the more rapid growth of other kinds of households. For example, the number of households headed by single mothers grew by 25 percent in the 1990s. In addition, the aging of the baby boom generation, many of whose offspring are leaving the nest, means that the number of households without children at home is growing. The stresses and strains that modern life places on the family are well-known.