The main reason for the growth of lone parent families in Australia and other countries seems to lie in changing social values since the 1960's. there is now much greater social acceptance of divorce and lone parenthood.
Most lone parent families in Australia are formed through the separation of couples. ABS estimates (June 1996) of martial status of lone parents with dependent children show that around 63% were divorced or separated, around 3% considered themselves "married" (these lone parents may have misunderstood the question or their partners might be in jail or mining). Around 7% widowed and around 27% were never married. Some of the "unmarried" groups are likely to been in de facto relationships before they become lone parents and others may have had long term relationships without living together.
The divorce rate rose slowly in the early 1970's and then sharply in 1976, with the introduction of the family law act of the family law act and the concept of no fault divorce, when it reached 4.5 per thousand. The divorce rate then declined over the next three years as the backlog of divorce applications was cleared, establishing at between two and three per thousand population over the 1080's and 1990's.
An important trend in relationships over the last decade has been the growth in de facto relationship, increasing from 8.2% of all couples (with and without children) in 19911 to 10% in 1996. Research by prof. Peter McDonald indicates that de facto relationships either end in marriage (first or second) or end.
