ABSTRACT
Families have changed substantially over the last half-century in the US, and while family policy has evolved in response to this underlying change, the process has been complex. To an extent, such changes have been induced by broader economic and social developments, eg. the long-term trend toward marketization of household activities, which sees major shifts of women's work and care activities - child care and elder care - into the market, continues into this last half-century. There have also been changes in values with respect to divorce, marriage, and child-bearing, at least among certain segments of the population. But just as importantly, changes in one aspect of family life influence others: increased market work by mothers may require child care by non-mothers, including the possibility of market child care. There are interdependencies between these factors, but also sharp disagreements about them and about their implications for policy.
