WHAT IS A 'TYPICAL' FAMILY?

There were 17.1 million families in the UK in 2006 - up from 16.5 million in 1996.

Most were still headed by a married couple (71%), although the proportion of cohabiting couple families had increased to 14%, from 9% 10 years earlier.

Although two children remains the most common family size, the average number of children per family in the UK has dropped - from 2.0 in 1971 to 1.8.