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. 2019 Apr;56(2):405-426.
doi: 10.1007/s13524-019-00766-6.

Family Change and Changing Family Demography

Judith A Seltzer  1
Affiliations

Family Change and Changing Family Demography

Judith A Seltzer. Demography. 2019 Apr.

Abstract

Increases in life expectancy, high rates of movement into and out of couple relationships, and increasing exposure to stepfamilies raise new questions about who is in a family, the distinction between who lives together and who is a family member, and the extent to which family members are expected to meet the long-term obligations that define kinship. These questions are important because families have traditionally served as a vital private safety net for family members. Demographic changes increase family members' uncertainty about their relationships. Family ties are less stable and more uncertain among the economically disadvantaged, and uncertainty may exacerbate these disadvantages by weakening individuals' ability to rely on family members' support to alleviate hardship. I argue that demographers should focus on individuals' family relationships to gain insight into living arrangements and family dynamics. I also outline the development of family concepts and improvements in study design to identify principles that demographers should incorporate in new research to shed light on families' support for their members.

Keywords: Cohabitation; Complexity; Family; Marriage; Stepfamily.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Family relationships and family units. Lines connecting individuals indicate family relationships.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Percentage of articles in Demography on family topics (content 17 and 26), 1964–2010. Source: Merchant (n.d.).
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Living arrangements of children under 18 years old: 1960 to 2017. Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2017b).
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Percentage distribution of children’s living arrangements by race/ethnicity, 2016. Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2016).
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Percentage who feel “very obligated” to provide financial assistance or caregiving to their biological parent, stepparent, grown biological child, grown stepchild, or friend. Source: Parker (2011).
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
Percentage of persons ages 55–60 with any stepparent, by education, 2014. Source: Health and Retirement Study.
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