The hypothetical constructs of attraction and barrier forces, as well as contrasting alternative attractions are used to organize the research literature on the determinants of marital stability and dissolution. (Author/AM)

Notes that except for black males, a greater transmission effect is found among respondents from childhood homes disrupted by divorce or separation rather than by death. Also suggests that the role model rationale for the transmission of marital instability be elaborated upon. (Author/AM)

The marital histories of 203 young women who became premaritally pregnant in their early teens and 90 of their classmates most of whom married before pregnancy show that disruption in the courtship process and limited economic resources are the most important factors in marital dissolution. (Author/AM)

Factors that predicted breakups before marriage, investigated as part of a two-year study of dating relationships among college students include unequal involvement in the relationship and discrepant age, educational aspirations, intelligence, and physical attractiveness. (Author/AM)

Examines some of the ways in which communal living tests the strength and durability of couple relationships and proposes a model of the separation process based on these experiences. (Author/AM)

The discussion includes analyses of the probable causative impact of several types of changes on the stability of marriage: socio-economic variables generally associated with divorce; overall social acceptability of divorce as reflected by lessened negative economic and social sanctions; and the roles of women. (Author/AM)

Examines from a feminist perspective the costs and the benefits accruing to divorce mothers. The development of services and lobbying groups for divorced women within existing womens' centers are advocated, as well as the establishment of specialized divorce centers. (Author/AM)

Aspects of American society conducive to separation, sources of strain between partners, beliefs and norms about marital permanence, and evidence as to dissolution precipitating events are examined in the light of the papers in this issue, employing the four factor Kanter model. (Author/AM)

Suggests that separated individuals not only want to rejoin their spouses but also want to express anger with them. They may manage the resulting ambivalence by partial suppression, by compartmentalization, or by alternating expression positive and negative feelings. (Author/AM)

Public assistance and decennial census data from all 50 states and the District of Columbia are used to examine whether welfare payments provide an incentive for mothers with minor children to separate from their husbands. (Author/AM)

A review of the literature suggests that opposition to divorce reform for the sake of the children cannot be justified and an examination of the economic problems of single-parent families leads to proposals for income support. (Author/AM)