Nearly half of dads under 45 say they have a child out of wedlock
Nearly half of American dads under 45 this Fathers Day say they have at least one child who was born out of wedlock.
And the share of fathers living apart from children is more than double what it was just a few decades ago, according to a new study.
But among married fathers, children are said to be getting more attention from both parents at home than ever before.
A Pew Research Center report highlights the changing roles of parents as US marriage rates and traditional family households fall to historic lows.
The study found that college-educated men who tend to marry and get better jobs are more involved with their children than lesser-skilled men struggling to get by.
Pews survey and analysis of US government data found that more than one in four fathers - 27 per cent - with children 18 or younger live away from at least one of their children. That number is more than double the share of fathers who lived apart from their children in 1960.
But married fathers who live with their children are actually devoting more time helping their wives with caregiving at home - a task once seen almost exclusively as a womans duty. Such fathers on average now spend about 6.5 hours a week on child care, which include playing, helping children with homework or taking them to activities. Thats up from 2.6 hours in the 1960s.
Among fathers with at least a bachelors degree, only 13 percent had children outside marriage, compared to 51 percent of those with high school diplomas and 65 percent of those who didnt finish high school.
Age, too, was a factor. Three quarters of fathers who were 20 to 24 had children out of wedlock, compared to 36 percent for fathers aged 35 to 44.
The findings come as the latest US census data show that marriages have fallen to a record low, pushing the share of US households with married couples below 50 percent for the first time.
Sociologists say younger people are increasingly choosing to live together but delay marriage as they struggle to find work and resist making long-term commitments.
父亲节即将来临，而最新调查显示，近半数的45岁以下的美国爸爸承认至少有一名非婚生子女。
调查还显示，与孩子分开居住的父亲的比例是几十年前的两倍多。
但在已婚的父亲中，孩子在家中从父母那里得到的关爱更多了。
皮尤调查中心的这份报告指出了父母角色的变化。美国的结婚率和传统的家庭数量已跌至历史低点。
研究发现，与那些工作技能较低、疲于谋生的男性相比，结婚意愿较强、工作较好、接受过高等教育的父亲与孩子的关系更亲密。
通过调研分析美国政府提供的数据，研究人员发现，在孩子18岁及以下的父亲中，超过四分之一（27%）与至少一名子女分开居住。这一比例是1960年的两倍多。
但与孩子一同居住的已婚父亲会花更多的时间帮助妻子照顾孩子，这项任务曾被视为女性的专职。这些父亲平均每周花6.5个小时照顾孩子，包括陪孩子玩耍、帮孩子做作业、或者带孩子参加其它活动，而上世纪60年代仅有2.6个小时。
在有学历本科及以上的父亲中，仅有13%有非婚生子女，而在仅有高中学历的父亲中该比例为51%，在没读完高中的父亲中该比例高达65%。
年龄也是影响因素之一。20岁至24岁的父亲中，75%有非婚生子女，35岁至44岁的父亲中，这一比例为36%。
美国公布的最新人口普查数据显示，结婚率降至历史低点，已婚家庭比例不到一半，这在历史上还是首次。
社会学家指出，越来越多的年轻人选择同居，推迟婚期，因为他们忙于找工作，而且抗拒做出长久承诺。
Vocabulary:
born out of wedlock: 非婚生，wedlock指结婚生活，婚姻
get by：维持生计，勉强应付
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