Discussion questions

Bumpass, Raley and Sweet (1995)

1. Why do we care about remarriage and stepfamilies? Is research in this area important?

2. How does a discussion of remarriage and stepfamilies differ from our previous discussions of marriage? How does the increasing prevalence of cohabitation factor into research on remarriage and stepfamilies?

3. Do you agree with the way Bumpass et.al. lump together married and unmarried stepfamilies? Would we be better served by separating these out (i.e. are there important differences between married and unmarried stepfamilies that we miss by looking at them together)?

4. What other research questions in this area need to be addressed?

Bumpass, Sweet, and Martin (1992)

1. Given the authors' assertion that age factors are a key determinant of propensity to remarry, how do you think the trend towards increasing age at first marriage will affect remarriage rates?

2. What do you make of Becker's theory of children as "capital" specific to a particular marriage who may deter remarriage by increasing the costs to a potential new partner? How do Bumpass et.al's findings support or refute this hypothesis?

3. How do rates of remarriage vary by socioeconomic status and race? What are the implications of these differences?

deGraaf and Kalmjin (2003)

1. What is this article's unique contribution to the literature on remarriage?

2. How do the authors' hypotheses and findings coincide or differ from Becker's theories about marriage and the impact of children on remarriage prospects?

3. How do social and cultural factors play into the authors' hypotheses?

4. What support do deGraaf and Kalmjin find for economic, social and cultural hypotheses?

MacDonald and DeMaris (1995)

1. What is Cherlin's incomplete institutionalization hypothesis? Do you buy it?

2. How do the authors' findings support or negate Cherlin's hypothesis?

3. Is it possible that changes in family structure have created new institutionalized solutions that apply to remarriage and stepfamilies?

4. How do the effects of remarriage and the presence of stepchildren vary for blacks and whites? Are the authors' findings on this question consistent with the findings of other research?

Seltzer (1991)

1. What are the limitations of using cross-section data to examine the effects of time since separation on nonresident father-child relationships?

2. To what extent are Seltzer's three dimensions of paternal involvement - financial support, visiting, and decision making - interrelated? Does she leave out any important aspects of paternal involvement?

3. What policy implications does this study have?

4. Can you think of any other important research questions regarding paternal involvement?

Vikat, Thomson and Hoem (1999)

1. Why does Sweden provide unique insight into the nature of stepfamily fertility? How do the findings of this study transfer to the U.S. or other contexts?

2. What do the authors mean by the statement that "parity progression depends on whose parity we consider"?

3. How do pre-union children affect later childbearing? Does this differ for men and women?

4. How do the findings of this study fit into the larger literature on stepfamily fertility?