Describes recent changes in divorce laws in United States, England, Wales, France, and Sweden. Notes that divorce has become increasingly easy to obtain; spousal support has become less common; efforts have been made to increase child support awards and to improve payment compliance; and shared parental decision-making authority has become…

Noting that the preceding two decades have seen a dramatic growth in the proportion of families that are headed by women, this book explores the causes and implications of this development. The book bring together information on the past and present prevalence of mother-headed families in different countries. It then considers the various…

This volume is based on papers presented at a conference of social policy experts that looked at the growth in lone-parent families, the problems that have emerged, and their policy implications. Chapter 1 is an "Overview" (Duskin). Three chapters look at demographic trends over time and over the life-cycle; they are: "Demographic…