In 2019, 800,000 step-parents lived with their partner's children

In France, in 2019, 800,000 step-parents lived with children their partner had had before the current union. The family they lived in was thus a blended family. In these families, the majority of children from a previous relationship lived with their mother; 73% of step-parents were men.

The age gap between partners was higher in blended families: the age gap was 5 years or more in 46% of blended families, compared to 30% in "traditional" families, where all the children living at home are those of the couple. Compared to couples in "traditional" families, step-parents were less frequently married, more often in common-law relationships, and they tended to live in larger families.

Four out of ten step-parents lived exclusively with their partner's children, with no other child present at home. These step-parents were of various ages. For example, 22% of stepmothers living with no other children at home than those of their partner were under 30, compared to only 11% of mothers in "traditional" families; 29% of stepfathers in that case were 50 or older, compared to 18% of fathers in "traditional" families.

Six out of ten step-parents lived with both stepchildren and their own children (born from a previous relationship or from the current one). Step-parents who lived with children of the current couple were younger and more frequently married.