The table illustrates the household composition in a North American country in the years 1970 and 2003, divided into family and non-family households.
Overall, the most common household in both years was married couples, although the percentage dropped a lot by 2003. In contrast, non-family households, especially single people and room sharing, increased during the same period.
In 1970, 61% of households were married couples, but this number fell to 41% in 2003. Both father with a child and mother with a child showed small increases, going from 9% to 10% and 10% to 11% respectively. The category “other member sharing” also rose slightly, from 13% to 14%.
Non-family households grew more clearly. Single-person households increased from 4% in 1970 to 13% in 2003, while room sharing grew from 3% to 11%. These changes show that people were more likely to live alone or with roommates in 2003 compared to 1970.
To sum up, there was a clear decrease in traditional family types and an increase in alternative or independent living styles over the 33-year period.