Changes in family composition show the same pattern as those in household composition, Thus, there has been a steady decline in the proportion of families with dependent children headed by a married or cohabiting couple and a corresponding increase in the proportion headed by a lone parent. Whereas couple families accounted for 92% of all families in 1971, they comprised 78% of families in 1993 and 75% in 2001. Most of the growth in lone-parent families has been among lone mothers, lone-father families accounting for 1-3% of all families throughout the lifetime of the GHS. The proportion of families headed by a lone mother rose from 7% in 1971 to 22% in 2001. The proportion headed by a single (never-married) mother increased from 1% in 1971 to 10% in 2001 while the proportion headed by a divorced, separated or widowed mother rose from 6% to 12%, during the same period.