By Page Gardner

Presidential hopefuls are already campaigning in cities and small towns across the country to gain the support of American families. Democrats conducted their first presidential debate last week, and Republicans will follow suit Thursday. But if candidates want family support, they should reconsider what a typical American family looks like these days.

Newly released figures from the U.S. Census Bureau reflect that about one-third of America's children younger than 18 live in households headed by a single parent or by unmarried parents. On Long Island there are about 104,000 such households. Of the nearly 13 million single-parent families with kids at home, the vast majority are headed by single moms.

Like it or not, the makeup of the American family is changing. Today, Ozzie and Harriet are as likely to live next door to the Gilmore girls as they are to the Cleavers. America is home to more families headed by single women now, and the increase of these families means changes in what families need, from health care for the kids to flexible work hours for the single parents.

In previous elections much has been made about the "gender gap" in the nation's voting patterns. But candidates looking to connect with voters would do better to examine the marriage gap in voter participation between married women and unmarried women.

Nationwide there are 49.5 million adult women who claim single status. On Long Island there are about 506,000. On TV, they are the young surgical interns on "Grey's Anatomy"; Ruth, the widow on "Six Feet Under," and "American Idol" finalist Lakisha Jones, a single mother to a 4-year-old daughter.

Single women make up nearly a quarter of the eligible voting population. Already a political force to be reckoned with, unmarried women cast 22.4 percent of the total votes in 2004. But their potential strength has yet to be realized: Only 59 percent of unmarried women voted in 2004, compared with 71 percent of married women who cast their ballots. Roughly 20 million unmarried women sat out the last presidential election.

The reason why so many single women aren't participating in the political process isn't that they don't have concerns they want tackled by public officials. There are many issues these women are desperate for politicians to address.

The women our organization has talked to are financially on their own, and many are living close to or below the poverty line. Half of unmarried women have household incomes under $30,000. Nearly 40 percent rely on the government for their health care, and nearly 20 percent have no health insurance at all.

These women want America to head in a new direction, both at home and abroad, and want a leader that will take it there. They seek an end to the Iraq war. They want a raise in the minimum wage and pay equity so they can support their families.

They want help balancing the demands of their jobs and the needs of their kids. They want more funding for public schools and college opportunities, and they want health care expanded, especially, so all children have medical coverage.

Yet, single women are not participating in the political process in proportion to their numbers. Our research shows part of the problem is that they don't think politicians are listening or speaking to the issues that matter most to them. That isn't healthy for our democracy or system of government. And it's certainly not healthy for the future of single women and their kids.

Our political leaders need to recalibrate their policies to match the times. We can no longer assume that most families consist of one wage earner, a homemaker and their children, or even of two wage earners and their children. Equally out of date are school days that end at 3 p.m., schools that shut down for the summer, and health insurance and pension plans that assume a sole breadwinner providing for his wife and kids.

The model of the American family has evolved, and the needs of that family have evolved with it. Unmarried women, especially single mothers, should be encouraged to cast their votes and raise their voices, so that candidates for public office will start listening.