Geographic distribution
London has low proportion of stepfamilies with dependent children
Stepfamilies with dependent children as a proportion of all families with dependent children, 2001
The lowest proportions of families with dependent children that are stepfamilies are in London and Northern Ireland.
All of the ten lowest proportions are in Northern Ireland. The three lowest are Dungannon, Cookstown and Magherafelt, which are all under 4 per cent. The lowest in England is Harrow at just over 5 per cent. Hyndburn (Lancashire) is the area with the highest proportion of families with dependent children that are stepfamilies at just under 15 per cent.
Generally areas with higher proportions are located nearer to the coasts, in particular the east coast of England and the South West region.
Stepfamilies with some children of both partners together as a proportion of all stepfamilies, 2001
Stepfamilies vary according to whether they have children of both partners or not.
The areas with the highest proportions of stepfamilies with a child common to both parents are in Northern Ireland and London, areas with low proportions of stepfamilies. The three areas with the highest proportions are Newry and Mourne (60 per cent), Strabane (58 per cent) and Derry (57 per cent).
In London, the highest proportions are Tower Hamlets (56 per cent), Hackney, and Newham (both 53 per cent). Compared with the UK average, Wales also has high proportions with the three highest being Blaenau Gwent (45 per cent), Gwynedd (44 per cent) and Pembrokeshire (43 per cent).
Source: Census 2001, Office for National Statistics; Census 2001, General Register Office for Scotland; Census 2001, Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency
Notes: A family is a married/cohabiting couple with or without child(ren), or a lone-parent with child(ren). Cohabiting couples includes same sex couples.
Dependent children are aged under 16 in a household, or 16-18 in full-time education in a family.
A stepfamily is a family where at least one child is not the child of both members of a married or cohabiting couple, and that child is not adopted. Note that the stepchild in a stepchild family with dependent children may not themselves be dependent.
printer-friendly
Focus on Familes home