Family blending explained Place Forecast Feature

Referenced by 1 other explainer

Family blending shows different types of couple families with children.

These figures are Place Forecast estimates based on Census data published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

The seven types are:

• Intact families, no other children present: all children are the couple's own.
• Intact families, other children present: the couple's own children, plus another child at home.
• Step families, no other children present: one or more children belong to one partner only, and none are shared.
• Step families, other children present: a step family, plus another child at home.
• Blended families, no other children present: at least one shared child and at least one child of one partner.
• Blended families, other children present: a blended family, plus another child at home.
• Other couple families: any that do not fit the types above.

Each family is counted in one type only. Same-sex couples are counted here too.

This page is for couple families with children only. For other family types, see the Household type page.

'Other children' means children in the home who are not the couple's own. For example, this could be a grandchild or another child being cared for. These children can be adopted, foster, or one partner's own. The ABS records all of them.

These types follow ABS classification rules. They are based on past and current ties in the ABS data. They do not match how families describe themselves.

These figures cover private homes that are lived in. They leave out empty homes and non-private dwellings such as hotels, hospitals, aged-care homes, or hostels.

The ABS does not publish a Not stated count for family blending. Blank answers are added to the published totals.

Reading this data fairly

These figures show how people answered Census questions. Here are the equity caveats to keep in mind. They keep the numbers fair:

• In Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kinship, and in many culturally and linguistically diverse households, care is shared across many adults and homes. The ABS counts one main family per home. So the seven types do not capture those wider patterns.
• Read each family type as a count of how people answered. It is not a measure of need or a judgement about the family.

See the marker methodology for how these figures are calculated and their limitations.