http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/CRC/crc2008.pdf

Provides the most recent estimates for husband-wife and single-parent families using data from the 2005-06 Consumer Expenditure Survey updated to 2008 dollars with the Consumer Price Index. Reports that annual child-rearing expenses range between $11,610 and $13,480 per child for a two child, married couple family in the middle income group. From the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

http://www.cdc.gov/NCHS/data/nvsr/nvsr57/nvsr57_19.pdf

Also covers fertility rate and infant deaths. Provides state by state data. From the National Center for Health Statistics.

http://childstats.gov/pdf/ac2009/ac_09.pdf

Presents 40 key indicators grouped in seven sections on important aspects of children's lives. The sections are family and social environment, economic circumstances, health care, physical environment and safety, behavior, education, and health. From the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics.

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db19.pdf

Reports that over 70% of men and women aged 25-44 have been or are married, but that non-Hispanic black men and women have lower percentages of marriage than Hispanics and whites. The probability that men will marry by 40 is 81%; for women the figure is 86%. From the National Center for Health Statistics.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Memorandum-for-the-Heads-of-Executive-Departments-and-Agencies-on-Federal-Benefits-and-Non-Discrimination-6-17-09/

Extends to federal employees with same sex partners the same benefits enjoyed by married partners where authorized by existing federal law. Also calls for review of governmentwide benefits and guidance from Office of Personal Management on complying with laws which forbid discrimination against federal employees or applicants on the basis of factors not related to job performance. From the White House.

http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12565

Calls for new, family-centered ways to organize, fund, and deliver services to parents suffering from depression to prevent spillover effects on their children. From the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine.

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/famee.pdf

Reports that the percentage of families with an unemployed member rose from 6.3% in 2007 to 7.8% in 2008. Offers statistics on families and unemployment by race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, by type of families, by marital status, and by presence of children. From the Bureau of Labor Statistics

http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsStatistics/DH_099285

Reports that there were 195,296 abortions to residents of England and Wales in 2008 compared to 198,499 in 2007 or a decrease of 1.6%. Altogether there were 202,158 abortions in England and Wales, including 6,862 abortions for residents of other countries. Also covers location and funding of abortions, statutory grounds for the abortions, gestation period, marital status, and method of abortion. From the Department of Health and the Office for National Statistics.

http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/R40157_20090414.pdf

Argues that the current recession will be the first real test of how policies put in place in the mid-1990s affect the well-being of families with children during a period of high unemployment. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provides states with funds to rethink the safety net for disadvantaged families. From the Congressional Research Service, posted by OpenCRS.org.

http://laws.findlaw.com/us/000/07-543

7-2 Supreme Court decision that rejected the claims of four women that their pension calculation should include time spent on pregnancy leave between 1968 and 1976. The law treating preganancy no differently than other disabilities was not passed until 1979. From Findlaw.com

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db18.pdf

Reports that nearly 4 in 10 U.S. births were to unmarried women in 2007. Such births totaled 1.7 million in 2007, an increase of 26% from 2002. The biggest increase in births among unmarried women occurred to women in their 20s. Also presents characteristics of unmarried women and comparisons of the U.S. rate with that of other countries. From the National Center for Health Statistics.