Across the globe, single parent homes are on the rise. In the US, the 2000 census   showed 24.8 million, or nearly 24 percent of the nation's 105.5 million households, were traditional two-parent homes. By comparison, 9.8 million households, or 9 percent of all US households were headed by an adult raising a child alone. The 1990 census showed 26 percent of homes were led by a married mother and father, and 8 percent of homes were led by a single parent. Similar increases occurred in other countries. In the UK, lone-parent homes increased from 3.3 percent in 1990 to 5.5 percent in 1999. Single parent households in Australia rose from 5.8 percent in 1990 to 7.6 percent in 1999. Belgium saw the increase from 1.8 percent to 2.7 percent during the same period of time. These countries tend to have greater acceptance of the single parent because there are fewer nearby family members to disapprove, Riche, a Census Bureau director, said. Just as in the US, those changes raised new questions about how involved govenment should be in helping single parent families. Some research suggests children raised in two-parent families are better off than those who depend on one. "The position of one-parent families in any country is very much a gender   issue-women's opportunities, especially working-class women on low income," said Sue Cohen, coordinator   of the Single Action Parents Network in England. Not considering the exact number of the single-parent families, which country saw the fastest rise rate in 1999, compared with 1990?
UK. Australia. America. Belgium.