The most thoroughly updated edition yet, this book offers students perspectives of changes in marriage and family over time, including the impact of the Great Recession and of new media technologies. A hallmark of Families in Context remains the well-researched, data-driven quality of the text. Beyond presenting thoroughly updated statistics and literature, each chapter examines new trends and assesses their implications for students' lives. The underlying presentation remains balanced, theoretically grounded, and accessible to a wide variety of classes, allowing students of all ages and family backgrounds to draw their own conclusions about controversial topics. Features of the new edition include coverage of the Affordable Care Act; new social media and families; the latest trends in poverty, education, social mobility, gender, identities and healthcare; updated 'In the News' features and author-created PowerPoint slides.