Since the 1950s, American children's lives have changed dramatically--particularly in the diverse ways they live and are raised.

American families are diversifying in ways that are more complex than ever, creating distinct patterns in different parts of the country and within various subgroups of the population. That’s why policymakers and community leaders need detailed, locally specific census data on family formation, marriage trends, divorce, and widowhood.

Research is showing that “it depends” is often a more accurate answer to questions about trends, causes, and consequences of marriage and divorce rates than the sound bites favored in so much public discourse.

Contrary to popular opinion, growing instability in American families, reflected not just in divorce rates but falling rates of marriage and high rates of unwed motherhood, is not caused by people abandoning traditional concerns for children’s well-being. It is a class issue caused by the growing gap between the job options, resources, economic stability, and personal safety nets available to college-educated Americans and less-educated workers.

In contrast to the seeming stabilization of divorce rates for the general population over the past two decades, the gray divorce rate has doubled: Married individuals aged 50 and older, including the college-educated, are twice as likely to experience a divorce today as they were in 1990. For married individuals aged 65 and older, the risk of divorce has more than doubled since 1990. Researchers explain why.