One in five households make up 'traditional' family

The proportion of households that make up a 'traditional' family unit in Great Britain has almost halved in 50 years.

In the second quarter of 2009, 21 per cent of households were made up of couple families with dependent children. In 1961, 38 per cent of households were of a similar composition, according to data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The size of the average household in Great Britain has fallen over the same period, from 3.1 people per household in 1961 to 2.4 people per household by the end of 2009.

The statistics show that the number of one person households increased from 1.7 million in 1961 to more than seven million in 2009.

The report also indicates that older women are most likely to be living alone. Data from the General Household Survey shows that in 2007, 61 per cent of women aged 75 and over were most likely to be living alone in Great Britain, compared to 34 per cent of men in the same age group.