What transitions do families go through? Although marriage used to mean a lifelong commitment, today divorce is common and easy to get. The effects of divorce on children are widely debated. While...

What transitions do families go through? Although marriage used to mean a lifelong commitment, today divorce is common and easy to get. The effects of divorce on children are widely debated. While parental divorce increases the risk of distress and later relationship problems, most children are found to be resilient. After a divorce, the woman’s standard of living typically decreases; this is even more striking among African American women. As people remarry, blended families are becoming more common, especially among those in the middle class, although unofficial blended families are prevalent in all groups.