Parents again

In a changing nation, more grandparents are taking on the responsibilities of parenting | Susan Olasky

m11/ZUMA Press/Newscom

The U.S. population is changing in ways that will have a major impact on the economy, business, and government. That's the gist of a recent report by James Johnson and John Kasarda, both professors at the University of North Carolina. Although all the data from the 2010 census are not out, Johnson and Kasarda write that enough clues already exist to identify "six disruptive demographic trends" that Census 2010 "will likely confirm with hard and reliable data."

Among the trends: America is becoming grayer and browner, older and more Hispanic. Population is shifting south and west, and with it political power. Americans are increasingly marrying outside their own race or ethnicity. The employment prospects of men are in decline. More grandparents are raising their grandchildren.