The status of the American family has been the topic of considerable debate in recent years. As demographic changes make our country more multicultural and as new types of families continue to form and become more common, it is essential for sociologists, social workers, family researchers, and psychologists to understand the full range of diversity in American families. However, to varying extents, African American families, Latino families, Asian American families, poverty-stricken and near-poor families, lesbian and gay families, single-parent families, and stepfamilies have been...

How important is family structure? Does the perception that children of divorced parents suffer hold true under the scrutiny of research? Is the traditional two parent//two child family ideal in terms of well-being? In this volume, two leading family researchers analyze these crucial questions. Using the United States National Survey of Families and Households, they examine the four most common family types - two parent families, divorced mothers with children, remarried families and unmarried mothers - to analyze the impact of family structure versus other factors.