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Families are changing shape and facing up to new lifestyle challenges. The facts and figures below give an idea of what the typical UK family looks like in the early 21st century. (Source: BBC)
There were 17.1 million families in the UK in 2006 - up from 16.5 million in 1996.
Most were still headed by a married couple ( 70%), although the proportion of cohabiting couple families had increased to 14%, from 9% 10 years earlier.
But the average number of children per family has dropped - from 2.0 in 1971 to 1.8.
More young people are living at home for longer. In 2006, 58% of men and 39% of women aged 20-24 in England still lived at home with their parents.
Most single people live in London, whereas married couples and families tend to be concentrated in the centre of the country and around the outskirts of major cities, according to research by Professor Danny Dorling of Sheffield University.
His map is based on data drawn from the 85 constituencies used for the European parliamentary elections in 1999, each containing roughly half a million people over the age of 18 in a similar geographical area. Figures were not available for Northern Ireland.
In most families with dependent children, the father is still the main wage earner and the mother often works part-time.
According to the BBC/ICM poll, 33% of women still do the bulk of household chores, but 35% of respondents said both parents shared childcare duties.
The average family income is £32,779 before tax.
According to ONS figures, an average family of two adults and two children spends £601.20 a week, compared with a couple's average spend of £527.30. In other words, a family spends £155.60 per head, compared with a couple's spend of £263.60 per head.
BBC © http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7071611.stm
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In 2002, Bangladesh became the first country to ban plastic bags. (The Guardian, 12th May 2007)
About 25 per cent of American workers in the private sector get no paid holiday at all. (New Republic, 30th July 2007)
The only major religion not to endorse abstinence from food on special occasions is Sikhism. (New Yorker, 3rd September 2007)
The Finns spend more on ice cream than any other European nation, averaging $110 a head in 2005 - just beating the Italians. Britons spend less than half that figure. (Euromonitor)
Despite its oil reserves, 99 per cent of Norway's electricity is produced by hydroelectric sources. (Encarta)
The 2006 World Cup final had a higher US television audience than the 2006 baseball World Series. (New Republic, 17th July 2007)
British families spend as much time eating together today as they did in the 1970s. (Economic and Social Research Council)
The production of a kilogram of beef emits the same amount of CO2 as the average European car driving 250 kilometres. (New Scientist, 21st July 2007)