Many commentators have expressed alarm over the increase in the number of single-parent families in the United States over the past four decades. The growth in single-parent families has been fueled by a rise in the number of out-of-wedlock births. Whether children are more likely to suffer social and economic problems when raised by one parent rather than two is a central theme explored in this anthology, which contains the following selections: (1) "Single-Parent Families Are Harmful" (Barbara Dafoe Whitehead); (2) "Divorce Harms Children" (Karl Zinsmeister); (3) "Single-Parent Families Contribute to Violent Crime" (Wade C. Mackey); (4) "Single-Parent Families Contribute to the Breakdown of Society" (Jean Bethke Elshtain); (5) "Fathers Are Important to Families" (David Blankenhorn); (6) "The Harmful Effects of Single-Parent Families Are Exaggerated" (Arlene Skolnik and Stacey Rosencranz); (7) "Single-Parent Families Have Been Unfairly Stigmatized" (Iris Marion Young); (8) "The Harm Caused by Unwed Mothers Is Exaggerated" (Clarence Page); (9) "Single Mothers Are Unfairly Blamed for Poverty" (Holly Sklar); and (10) "Single Motherhood Is a Legitimate Choice" (Katha Pollitt). (Contains a list of 10 resource organizations and 50 references.) (SLD)