The changing profile of the American family

There has been much speculation recently in both the popular and professional literature about the status of the American family. Accounts of family life in the United States are generally pessimistic, focusing on high divorce rates and other indicators of instability. This paper briefly examines the development of research on the family. The state of the contemporary American family is then discussed, pointing especially to indicators both of the family's stability and the family's ill health. Finally, some speculations are presented about future directions for research in the field.