PREFACE.-Balancing Connectedness and Autonomy in Diverse Families.-II. THEORETICAL AND METHODOLOCAL ISSUES.-The Current Status of Theorizing About Families.-The Demography of Families.-Quantitative Methodology for Family Science.-Qualitative Family Research: Enduring Themes and Contemporary Variations.-Systemic and Ecological Qualities of Families.-Feminism and Families.-Stress Processes in Families and Couples.-Conceptualizing Cultural Influences on Socialization: Comparing Parent-Adolescent Relationships in the U.S. and Mexico.-II. RELATIONSHIPS, PROCESSES, AND ROLES IN FAMILIES.-Dating and Mate Selection.-Marriage Relationships in the 21st Century.-Living Together Unmarried: What Do We Know About Cohabiting Families?--Child Relationships in Diverse Contexts.-Theory and Research Pertaining to Families with Adolescents.-Sibling Relationships.-Father’s Nurturance of Children Over the Life Course.-Adulthood and Aging in Families.-Gender and Family Relationships.-Sexuality in Families: The (Re) Creation of Sexual Culture.-Family Violence.-Marital Dissolution.-Remarriage and Stepfamily Life.-III.  FAMILIES AND OTHER INSTITUTIONS -- Work and Family Through Time and Space:  Revisiting old Themes and Charting New Directions.-Family Economic Well-Being -- The Division of Household Labor.-Religion and Family Research in the Twenty First Century.-IV. DIVERSITY IN FAMILY LIFE -- Family Lives of Lesbian and Gay Adults.-African American Families: Research Progress and Potential in the Age of Obama.-Asian American Families Adjustment to the U.S. Context: The Ecology of Strength and Stress -- Latino Families in the United States -- V. APPLICATION OF FAMILY SOCIAL SCIENCE.-Social Policies and Families through an Ecological Lens.-Families and Communities: A Social Organization Theory of Action and Change.-Family Life Education: Issues and Challenges in Professional Practice.-Family Therapy: An “Emerging Field”.-Teaching about Family Science as a Discipline.-VI. Diverse Families: Islands of Refuge in the Midst of Troubled Waters?.

Despite waves of societal, cultural, and generational change, the family remains the bedrock unit for studying the individual and society as well as a prime focus of study in its own right. In particular, where diverse family structures were once considered rare occurrences, they are now gaining increased recognition from the social sciences. The Handbook of Marriage and the Family has been updated to reflect the current realities of family life, synthesizing and critiquing the knowledge base in key areas such as dating, parenting, sexuality, gender, ethnicity, sibling relationships, divorce, and stepfamilies. This Third Edition assembles leading experts across the disciplines to cover an expanded range of topics in qualitative and quantitative methodology, roles and relationships, diversity, and application issues, among them:  Systemic and ecological qualities of families. Division of household labor. Families with cohabitating parents. Fathers’ nurturance of children over the life course. Cultural influences on socialization. Family lives of lesbian and gay adults. Family science as a teaching discipline. Like its predecessors, this new edition of the Handbook of Marriage and the Family stands as a comprehensive primary resource for family scientists, sociologists, psychologists, and social workers who work with families, as well as for researchers, graduate students, and faculty in family studies, child development, psychology, sociology, social work, public health, and related fields.