Marriage from a Child’s Perspective: How Does Family Structure Affect Children, and What Can We Do about It?

This research brief reviews evidence on the effects of family structure on children, as well as key trends in family structure over the last few decades.

Note: This Child Trends brief summarizes research conducted in 2002, when neither same-sex parents nor adoptive parents were identified in large national surveys. Therefore, no conclusions can be drawn from this research about the wellbeing of children raised by same-sex parents or adoptive parents.