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Family Complexity among Children in the United States

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Listed:
  • Wendy D. Manning
  • Susan L. Brown
  • J. Bart Stykes

Abstract

Researchers largely have relied on a measure of family structure to describe children’s living arrangements, but this approach captures only the child’s relationship to the parent(s), ignoring the presence and composition of siblings. We develop a measure of family complexity that merges family structure and sibling composition to distinguish between simple two-biological-parent families, families with complex-sibling (half or stepsiblings) arrangements, and complex-parent (stepparent, single-parent) families. Using the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), we provide a descriptive profile of changes in children’s living arrangements over a 13-year span (1996–2009). SIPP sample sizes are sufficiently large to permit an evaluation of changes in the distribution of children in various (married, cohabiting, and single-parent) simple and complex families according to race/ethnicity and parental education. The article concludes by showing that we have reached a plateau in family complexity and that complexity is concentrated among the most disadvantaged families.

Suggested Citation

  • Wendy D. Manning & Susan L. Brown & J. Bart Stykes, 2014. "Family Complexity among Children in the United States," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 654(1), pages 48-65, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:anname:v:654:y:2014:i:1:p:48-65
    DOI: 10.1177/0002716214524515
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Sheela Kennedy & Catherine Fitch, 2012. "Measuring Cohabitation and Family Structure in the United States: Assessing the Impact of New Data From the Current Population Survey," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 49(4), pages 1479-1498, November.
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    Cited by:

    1. Andrew J. Cherlin & Judith A. Seltzer, 2014. "Family Complexity, the Family Safety Net, and Public Policy," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 654(1), pages 231-239, July.
    2. Jake J. Hays, 2023. "Multipartner Fertility and Psychological Distress: Evidence for Social Selection," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 42(3), pages 1-30, June.
    3. Bryan L. Sykes & Becky Pettit, 2014. "Mass Incarceration, Family Complexity, and the Reproduction of Childhood Disadvantage," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 654(1), pages 127-149, July.

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