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1. As it relates to marriage and family, how does our culture reflect a“disposable”society?


2. What are the most serious effects of divorce on families? On children? What
   consequences would you add that we have not mentioned in this chapter?


3. In your experience, which of these groups is better prepared to help families who have
   experienced divorce/remarriage: social agencies or the church? Explain your answer.


4. How can the church better minister to stepfamilies and divorced individuals?

Questions for Thought

Chapter 13

resilience, increased independence, and

increased responsibility as advantageous

for their growth. While divorce

admittedly has negative effects on

children, these researchers suggest some

of the problems children experience may

have existed before the divorce.

Single-parent families are formed when

parents divorce, cohabiting couples

separate, or—in increasing numbers—

women raise children out of wedlock. The

number of single parents has increased

dramatically: 1 in 3 children is born to

unmarried parents, and 1 in 2 children will

spend some time in a single-parent family.

Single mothers have a lower standard of

living than their married counterparts and

often rely on welfare for a period of time.

Half of all single mothers do not receive

regular child support, which exacerbates

their financial problems. In addition to

financial difficulties, single parents also face

role and task overload which can be

overwhelming.

A growing number of people bring a

child into a new marriage.While

stepfamilies experience the same

difficulties all couples experience, they also

have more complex challenges. Some of

these challenges include loyalties to absent

parents, boundary fuzziness with children

belonging to two different families, and

financial struggles related to child support

and spousal maintenance. Despite the

challenges stepfamilies experience, they

also reap rewards. Stepfamilies provide

children with a broader definition of

family, a larger network for support and

socialization, decreased loneliness, and

greater independence and autonomy.