As has been seen in previous years non-married women aged 16-59 with dependent children were more likely than those without dependent children to be cohabiting. In 2000:

• 31% of non-married women with dependent children were cohabiting, compared with 23% of non-married women without dependent children
• nearly two in five (38%) single women with dependent children were cohabiting, compared with 23% of single women without dependent children.