Over the past several decades, families have undergone significant changes in their structure and dynamics. Family size has decreased as people have fewer children and live in smaller households. The age of first marriage has increased substantially, with people in their late 20s on average now, compared to the early 20s in the 1950s. More women work outside the home, in part due to financial need. Single-parent families and cohabitation before marriage have both increased greatly. Grandparent-headed households and the number of children raised by grandparents have also risen significantly over the past 40-50 years. These changes have been influenced by factors like longer education, greater career opportunities for women, higher acceptance of nonmarital relationships, and a 30+