12.2: Introduction

This chapter continues our focus on conflict and change in family life by examining separation, divorce, remarriage, and blended families. Divorce is one of the most discussed features of modern family life, but it is often misunderstood. Because marriage has become less common over time, understanding how divorce is measured is essential for interpreting divorce trends accurately.

Rather than treating divorce simply as a personal failure or private decision, this chapter examines divorce as both a legal process and a social process shaped by law, gender, inequality, cultural expectations, and changing ideas about marriage. It provides a brief history of U.S. divorce patterns, explores how divorce risk varies across the population, and examines common pathways that lead marriages to end.

The chapter also considers how divorce affects adults, children, parenting, economic security, and family relationships. It concludes by examining remarriage, repartnering, and blended families, showing how families reorganize after marital dissolution and how new family forms create both opportunities and challenges.

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