ABSTRACT
Increases in divorce and out-of-wedlock childbearing have dramatically altered the family life of American children. Whereas in the early 1960s, nearly 90% of all children lived with both of their biological parents until they reached adulthood, today less than half of children grow up with both natural parents. Nearly a third are born to unmarried parents, the majority of whom never live together, and another third are born to married parents who divorce before their children reach adulthood. To further complicate matters, a substantial number of children are exposed to multiple marital disruptions and multiple father figures.
