The report also examined indicators of family economics, processes, and culture in this region:
Absolute poverty[1] ranged from one percent of the population in Argentina, Chile and Costa Rica to 16 percent in Columbia and Nicaragua;
Undernourishment rates in the region are second only to Africa, while parental education is at moderate levels and parental employment levels varied widely;
Adults in this region report that family satisfaction and family trust are high, and that there are rarely disagreements over housework;
Students report the highest levels of communication on political and social issues in the world, and that their families are regularly eating meals together;
A high percentage of adults in this region believe that children are happier when they grow up with both a father and a mother, even though many children in Central and South America are raised outside of a two-parent home;
Support for working mothers and voluntary single parenthood is also high.
The meetings and discussions that took place in Peru underscored several common challenges and changes related to the family that many countries are facing, but also highlighted the value of understanding the specific economic, social and political contexts that operate in Peru, as well as every other country, to uniquely shape the experiences of children and families.