Diverse Families in U.S. Society

From adoption and surrogate parenting to increasing rates of remarriage and same-sex parents, the number of diverse family constellations in United States society continues to grow. Such constellations offer enormous benefits as well as significant obstacles. Because of a high divorce rate, stepfamilies are a growing family constellation. It is estimated that about half of all marriages in the United States are a remarriage for at least one of the adult partners (Hornik 2001). Further, one in three children in the United States under the age of 18 is a member of a stepfamily (Hornik 2001). As Hornik (2001) maintains, "Most experts predict a significant increase in stepfamilies, possibly to the point where stepfamilies outnumber traditional families" (30). This research will explore the challenges stepfamilies must face in order to reap the benefits offered by blended families.

The blended family offers many potential benefits when partners with children who remarry take steps to maintain a foundation to promote them. Chapter Fourteen reveals many problems and strengths associated with blended or "stepfamilies". Stepfamilies are but one of a variety of increasingly diverse family constellations in American society that offer both benefits and challenges. As expressed in chapter nine, "The diversity of family forms in our country creates a variety of experiences, needs, and possibilities" (347). The stepfamily offers a variety of possibilities and b

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Category: Psychology - D