Main Features - Changes in family dynamics (original) (raw)

CHANGES IN FAMILY DYNAMICS

INTRODUCTION

This chapter presents an analysis of changes in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander family structures between the�2006 and 2011�Censuses and the links between parentage and the identification of children as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people.

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER HOUSEHOLDS AND FAMILIES

A household is defined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) as one�or more persons, at least one�of whom is at least�15�years of age, who are usually resident in the same private dwelling. A family is defined as two�or more people, one�of whom is at least�15�years of age, who are related by blood, marriage (registered or de�facto), adoption, step or fostering, and who are usually resident in the same household. Under the current Census standard, a household may include as many as three�separate families. Non-family households include lone person and group households. Other households include visitors and people in non-private dwellings.

An Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander family is�one�in which at least�one�usual resident is of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin. Similarly, an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander household is�one�in which at least�one�usual resident is of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin. However, caution is advised when analysing family characteristics as the classifications used to describe Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander households and families in the Census do not fully capture the complexity of many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander family structures and living arrangements.1

According to these definitions, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families or households may also include people who are non-Indigenous or whose Indigenous status is not known. For the purposes of this analysis, this chapter only looks at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in these households or families.

Household size and composition

In both the�2006 and 2011�Censuses, just over�80%�of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were living in an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander family household. In�2006, there were�371,500�Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in�140,500�Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander family households, increasing to�443,200�Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in�174,300�Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander family households in�2011. Over this period, there was no change in the average size of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander family households, which was�3.4�persons per household.

HOU SEHOLD TYPE OF ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLE(a) LIVING IN ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER HOUSEHOLDS(b)
2006 2011 Relative change
no. % no. % no. %
Family household 371 516 81.6 443 247 80.8 71 731 19.3
Non-family household(c) 39 041 8.6 49 726 9.1 10 685 27.4
Other household(d) 44 469 9.8 55 397 10.1 10 928 24.6
Total persons 455 026 100.0 548 370 100.0 93 344 20.5
(a) Usual residence Census counts. Excludes overseas visitors. Includes Other Territories. (b) An Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander household is a household in which at least one usual resident is of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin. (c) Comprises people in lone person households and group households. (d) Comprises visitors and people in non-private dwellings.

Family households

In both 2006 and�2011, around�half�of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander family households were living in couple�families with children (189,300�in�2006 and�221,400�in�2011), and a further�38%�(141,800�in�2006 and�170,000�in�2011) were living in one�parent families.

LIVING ARRANGEMENTS OF ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLE LIVING IN ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER FAMILY HOUSEHOLDS(a)
2006 2011 Relative change
no. % no. % no**.** %
Couple family with no children 33 214 8.9 43 021 9.7 9 807 29.5
Couple family with children 189 262 50.9 221 389 49.9 32 127 17.0
One parent family 141 789 38.2 169 992 38.4 28 203 19.9
Other family 7 251 2.0 8 845 2.0 1 594 22.0
Total persons 371 516 100.0 443 247 100.0 71 731 19.3
(a) Usual residence Census counts. Excludes overseas visitors. Includes Other Territories.

Couple families

In the 2011 Census, there were�32,100�(17%)�more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in couple�families with children and�9,800�(30%)�more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in couple families with no children than in the 2006�Census.

At the state and territory level, there were large increases between�2006 and�2011 in the counts of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in couple families with children in New South Wales (12,200�or�23%) and Queensland (10,000�or�18%), with smaller increases observed in the other states and territories.

ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLE(a) LIVING IN COUPLE FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN

Graph shows New South Wales and Queensland had the largest increases in the counts of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in couple families with children between 2006 and 2011, with smaller increases observed in the other jurisdictions

The same trend was observed for counts of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in couple families with no children, with large increases in New South Wales (3,600�or�35%) and Queensland (2,800�or�31%).

ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLE(a) LIVING IN COUPLE�FAMILIES WITH NO�CHILDREN

Graph shows New South Wales and Queensland had the largest increases in Census counts of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in couple families with no children between 2006 and 2011

One parent families

Between 2006 and�2011, the count of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in one parent families increased from�141,800�to�170,000.

In�2006, there were�36,600�Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander lone parents, increasing to�44,100�in�2011. While lone parents comprised�8%�of the count of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in each Census year, there were more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander lone parents counted in most age groups in�2011. There were also�21,000�lone parents of non-Indigenous origin (including those for whom Indigenous status was not known in�2011) living in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander family households in�2011, up from�17,100�in�2006.

AGE DISTRIBUTION OF ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER LONE�PARENTS(a)

The age distribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander lone parents counted in the Census shows there were more lone parents counted in most age groups in 2011 than in 2006

While it is useful to consider changes in the age distribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander lone parents over time, it is also important to consider changes in the age distribution of lone parents using age cohorts to assess whether these changes are in line with expectations. This has been done using Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander lone parent age cohorts for those aged�20-64�years in�2011 (that is, compared with lone parents aged�15-59�years in�2006). This analysis excludes lone parents aged�65�years and over in�2011 (that is,�60�years and over in�2006) as they are unlikely to still have dependent children who are included on their Census forms. Changes in age cohorts for the total Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population are discussed in more detail in the chapter Changes in Age and Sex Structure.

When we compare the age distribution of lone parents by age cohorts, there is a large increase in the count of lone parents aged�20-44�years in�2011, and especially among those aged�20-24�years (when compared with lone parents aged�15-19�years in�2006). This increase could be attributed to a number of factors, including any one or all of the following: more lone parents identifying themselves as an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person in the 2011�Census than in the 2006�Census; more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people becoming lone parents due to family dissolution between�2006 and�2011; and single Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people becoming parents for the first time between�2006 and�2011.

ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER LONE PARENTS AGED�20-64�YEARS(a), by age cohort in�2011

Graph shows there was a large increase in the count of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander lone parents aged 20–44 years in 2011 when compared with those aged 15-39 years in 2006

ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER COUPLES AND MIXED COUPLES

For the purpose of the following analysis, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander couples are opposite-sex couples who are married or in a de�facto relationship, both members of which are at home on Census night, and at least one�of whom is of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin. Mixed couples are defined as having one�Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander partner and one�non-Indigenous partner.

Mixed couples as a proportion of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander couples have increased over time from�64%�of all couples in�1996 to�70%�in�2001,�71%�in�2006 and�74%�in�2011.

Between 2006 and 2011, there were�4,700�more Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people who reported being in a couple relationship with another Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person. This resulted in an�11%�(2,300)�increase in the count of couples where both partners were of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin in�2011. The count of mixed couples in which only the husband/male partner or the wife/female partner was an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person also increased by�14,900�(7,400�husband/male partner only and�7,500�wife/female partner only) between�2006 and�2011.

ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER COUPLES(a)(b), by Indigenous status of each partner
2006 2011 Relative change
no. % no. % no**.** %
Indigenous status of partner
Both husband and wife/male and female partner are Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people 21 845 29.4 24 192 26.4 2 347 10.7
Mixed couples(c)
Only husband/male partner is Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person 24 507 33.0 31 952 34.9 7 445 30.4
Only wife/female partner is Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person 27 835 37.5 35 333 38.6 7 498 26.9
Total mixed couples 52 342 70.6 67 285 73.6 14 943 28.5
Total couples 74 187 100.0 91 477 100.0 17 290 23.3
(a) Usual residence Census counts. Excludes overseas visitors. Includes Other Territories.
(b) Includes couples who are married or in a de facto relationship. Excludes same-sex couples, lone parents and couples in which one partner was absent on Census night.
(c) Couples with one Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander partner and one non-Indigenous partner.

In both the Australian Capital Territory and Tasmania, mixed couples have comprised a consistently high proportion of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islandercouples since�1996, while in the Northern Territory, the proportion of mixed couples has remained consistently low. In all other states, mixed couples have accounted for a growing share of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander couples over the�15�years from�1996 to�2011.

MIXED COUPLES(a) AS A PROPORTION OF ALL ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER COUPLES(b)(c)

Graph shows that between 1996 and 2011, mixed couples have accounted for a growing share of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander couples in all states and territories

ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PARENTAGE

In families in which one parent is an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person and the other person is non-Indigenous, children of that relationship may be identified as an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person or non-Indigenous person in the Census. Historically, the Census Household Form has, in most cases, been completed by parents on behalf of their children and so in those instances the parents decide how to report the Indigenous status of their children. Differential reporting of the Indigenous status of children from these families across generations has been observed.2

In both 2006 and 2011, 98%�of children with two�Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander parents were also identified as being of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin. The corresponding proportions for children of mixed parentage with an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander mother or father only were�94%�and�85%�respectively in both�2006 and�2011. While parentage does not necessarily represent a biological relationship, it is notable that in both Censuses,�15%�of children with an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islanderfather only and�7%�of children with an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander mother only were identified as non-Indigenous people or did not have their Indigenous status recorded.

Between the 2006 and 2011�Censuses, the count of children with at least one�Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander parent who were identified as being of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin increased by�17,200�(13%). Those with an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander mother only accounted for around�two-thirds�(65%�or�11,100) of this increase.

INDIGENOUS STATUS OF CHILDREN AGED�0-14�YEARS WITH AT LEAST ONE�ABORIGINAL AND/OR TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PARENT(a)
2006 2011 Relative change
no. % no. % no**.** %
ABORIGINAL AND/OR TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER CHILD
Only father is an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person(b) 25 984 84.8 31 209 85.2 5 225 20.1
Only mother is an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person(b) 72 029 93.8 83 131 93.5 11 102 15.4
Both parents are Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people 30 022 98.3 30 868 98.2 846 2.8
Total 128 035 92.8 145 208 92.5 17 173 13.4
NON-INDIGENOUS CHILD(c)
Only father is an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person(b) 4 657 15.2 5 435 14.8 778 16.7
Only mother is an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person(b) 4 792 6.2 5 808 6.5 1 016 21.2
Both parents are Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people 513 1.7 558 1.8 45 8.8
Total 9 962 7.2 11 801 7.5 1 839 18.5
ALL CHILDREN
Only father is an an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person(b) 30 641 100.0 36 644 100.0 6 003 19.6
Only mother is an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person(b) 76 821 100.0 88 939 100.0 12 118 15.8
Both parents are Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people 30 535 100.0 31 426 100.0 891 2.9
Total 137 997 100.0 157 009 100.0 19 012 13.8
(a) Usual residence Census counts. Excludes overseas visitors. Includes Other Territories.
(b) Includes lone parents. Excludes couples in which the Indigenous status of one partner was not stated. (c) Includes Indigenous status not stated.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

Changes in family dynamics can provide important context for changes in people's propensity to identify as an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person over time. In particular, the increase in the count of mixed couples and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander lone parents in the 2011�Census corresponds with the large increase in the count of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children with one�Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander parent. This supports the finding that a change in the propensity to identify as an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person has resulted in more parents identifying themselves and their children in the 2011�Census than in the 2006�Census. This is examined further in the chapter Changing Propensity to Identify as Being of Aboriginal and /or Torres Strait Islander Origin between Censuses.

FOOTNOTES

1 For further information about the complexity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander family structures and living arrangements, refer to Morphy,�F�2006, Lost in Translation? Remote Indigenous households and definitions of the family, Family Matters, no.�73, pp.�23–31.

2 Gray, A�1998, Parentage and Indigenous population change, Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research Discussion Paper�166/1998.