Living Arrangements Over the Life Course

Abstract

Living arrangements are influenced by social and demographic trends. Changes in social norms related to marriage, childbearing, educational attainment, and women's employment have reshaped families, making residential family membership much less continuous over the life course. The increasing complexity of family living arrangements makes a life course perspective essential for understanding families. The special issue titled "Living Arrangements Over the Life Course: Families in the 21st Century" addresses several key themes that will characterize families in the 21st century, including gender and the family, union formation and dissolution, living arrangements, and family migration.