Home > Statistics > Families > 2012 > Annual Review > Reconstituted families mainly have the mother's children

Published: 22 November 2013

Reconstituted families mainly have the mother's children

According to the 2012 family statistics, there are some 110,000 underage children living in reconstituted families, which represents ten per cent of all children living in families with underage children. A majority, some 60 per cent of children living in reconstituted families are the mother's children. Close on one-third are joint children and around ten per cent the father's children. A reconstituted family is a family with at least one underage child of just one of the parents.

Share of children in reconstituted families by age in 2012

There are some 36,000 children under school-age growing up in reconstituted families of which 70 per cent are joint children, 27 per cent the mother's children, and three per cent the father's children.

There are 53,000 reconstituted families representing nine per cent of all families with underage children. Around one-half of the parents of reconstituted families are married to each other and one-half cohabit with each other.

Altogether, 46 per cent of reconstituted families only have children that were brought into the family by the mother. The second most common type of reconstituted families is one with the mother's children and joint children, 38 per cent. In six per cent of reconstituted families there are only children that were brought into the family by the father. Four per cent of reconstituted families have both the mother's and father's children but no joint children. Reconstituted families that have the father's children and joint children also represent four per cent. A combination with the mother's and father's children, as well as joint children is quite rare, only around two per cent of reconstituted families are of this type. Even though the mother's children most commonly live permanently in reconstituted families, the daily life of the family may also involve the father's children permanently living elsewhere.

Source: Population and Cause of Death Statistics, Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Marjut Pietiläinen 09 1734 2798, Timo Nikander 09 1734 3250, vaesto.tilasto@stat.fi

Director in charge: Riitta Harala

Publication in pdf-format (722.2 kB)

Reviews

• 1. Married couple without children is still the commonest family type (22.11.2013)
• 2. Entirely foreign-language speaking families still rare (22.11.2013)
• 3. Families with children make up 40 per cent of all families (22.11.2013)
• 4. Types of families with underage children vary by region (22.11.2013)
• 5. Four out of five children live in families with two parents (22.11.2013)
• 6. Nearly one-third of girls live at home at the age of 20 and over one-half of boys (22.11.2013)
• 7. Men live commonly alone in middle age as well (22.11.2013)

Tables

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Appendix tables

• Appendix table 1. Family population and average size of family in 1950 - 2012 (22.11.2013)
• Appendix table 2. Swedish-speaking families by type and number of children of spouses/parents December 31, 2012 (22.11.2013)
• Appendix table 3. Married couples by order of marriage of man and woman on December 31, 2012 (22.11.2013)
• Appendix table 4. Families by language of spouses/parents on December 31, 2012 (22.11.2013)
• Appendix table 5. Families with underage children by language of parents on December 31, 2012 (22.11.2013)
• Appendix table 6. Families by citizenship of spouses/parents on December 31, 2012 (22.11.2013)
• Appendix table 7. Families with underage children by citizenship of parents on December 31, 2012 (22.11.2013)
• Appendix table 8. Families by country of birth of spouses/parents on December 31, 2012 (22.11.2013)
• Appendix table 9. Families with underage children by country of birth of parents on December 31, 2012 (22.11.2013)
• Appendix table 10. Families by type of family and number of children aged 17 or under living at home on December 31, 2012 (22.11.2013)
• Appendix table 11. Families with underage children by number of children aged under 18 and family type on December 31, 2012 (22.11.2013)
• Appendix table 12. Reconstituted families by family composition and number of children on December 31, 2012 (22.11.2013)
• Appendix table 13. Families by age group of children and type of family on December 31, 2012 (22.11.2013)
• Appendix table 14. Children aged 0 - 24 by type of family, adopted children in families by age on December 31, 2012 (22.11.2013)
• Appendix table 15. Children by age and number of children in the family living at home aged 17 or under on December 31, 2012 (22.11.2013)
• Appendix table 16. Men with a family by age and type of family on December 31, 2012 (22.11.2013)
• Appendix table 17. Women with a family by age and type of familly on December 31, 2012 (22.11.2013)

Quality descriptions

• Quality description, families 2012 (22.11.2013)

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Updated 13.1.2014