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The rise in the number of children with divorced parents has been associated with many other demographic changes. Among the changes discussed are the increasing proportion of children under 18 who are of school age; who live with a stepparent; who spend some time in a one‐parent family; whose divorced parent has a college education; and who live with an unmarried couple. A projected one‐third of the children 18 years of age in 1990 will have lived with a divorced parent. It is assumed that the rate of divorce will increase more slowly in the next decade than in the last decade.

Bureau of the CensusThis paper presents an overview of trends in marriage and divorce behavior among the adult population in the United States from the early twentieth century to the present time, focusing on the increasing incidence of marital dissolution through divorce. The discussion includes analyses of the probable causative impact of several types of changes on the stability of marriage: socioeconomic variables generally associated with divorce; overall social acceptability of divorce as reflected by lessened negative economic and social sanctions; and the roles of women in modern American society. The final section is devoted to a brief summation and offers related hypotheses regarding the future of marital stability in this country.

An analysis of current marriage patterns in the United States is presented based on official data. "The population base for first marriages reached a peak in 1982, and the corresponding peak for divorces will be reached in about 1990. Both first marriage and remarriage rates have been declining among those in critical age groups and may be expected to continue to do so, barring unforeseen developments. About one-half of the first marriages of young adults today are likely to end in divorce. For second marriages, the projected level is closer to 60%. The divorce rate is highest for those with an incomplete college education and is especially low for those with four years of college." It is noted that "about three-fourths of young divorced persons are likely eventually to remarry. The number of unmarried couples tripled during the 1970s and may double again during the 1980s. One-parent households are expected to continue increasing rapidly while two-parent households actually decrease. But even if the recent trends continue at a moderated rate, the vast majority of Americans in 1990 will probably still be living in homes of married couples with or without children or in homes of lone parents and their young children."