The best interest of the child is an overriding principle in all matters of family law, especially in child custody cases. The Best Interests of Children links social theory with survey data to establish much-needed parameters for determining a child's best interest.

In analyzing the determinants of family law and child development, Paul Millar utilizes information from the Centre for Justice Statistics as well as data from national surveys. Millar's findings show that while the gender of caregivers is unimportant, family dynamics and parenting strategies are paramount: what...