Changing families, changing responsibilities : family obligations following divorce and remarriage /

Ganong and Coleman contribute to knowledge of divorce by exploring beliefs about intergenerational family obligations after divorce and remarriage. They specifically focus on beliefs about financial support, emotional support, and caregiving for elderly family members and for children. Their data stem from many smaller phone and mail surveys, conducted by the authors, that consist of vignettes of various divorce scenarios. The strengths of this book include the random sample of the studies, comprehensive vignettes, strong literature reviews, and the research niche it fills. However, at times (especially the first chapter) the text is wordy and difficult to follow. Also, there is no discussion of whether those who actually responded to the different mail and phone surveys are representative of the population. Still, given the relative neglect of this topic in previous research, Changing Families, Changing Relationships overall is an important addition to the divorce literature and is recommended to those interested in family issues. Upper-division undergraduates and above. L. Wolfer; University of Scranton