This study examined the extent to which adult children perceived current and former, legal or cohabiting, partners of biological parents as family members and parents and determined what factors were associated with these perceptions. Data come from 443 adult children participating in the 1997 wave of the Longitudinal Study of Generations. Hypotheses were developed on the basis of a synthesis of the solidarity‐conflict model and the life course perspective. Results revealed diversity in adult children’s perceptions of family membership and parentage and support for the theoretical perspectives. Structural, associational, and normative solidarity were all associated with adult children’s perceptions of current and former stepparents as family members and parents. Substantive and theoretical implications are discussed.

This project explores gender relations in stepfamilies from the vantage point of adult stepchildren who acquired stepparents during childhood. Drawing from 2 rounds of interviews with 15 adult stepchildren systematically selected from the 1997 wave of the University of Southern California Longitudinal Study of Generations, 5 themes of gender dynamics in these families were identified. These were as follows: the persistence of traditional gender practices in the parenting and stepparenting of children, stepmothers as kinkeepers, the renegotiation of relationships with biological fathers once children reached adulthood, parents and stepparents as relationship gatekeepers, and gendered patterns in investment toward biological children and stepchildren. The results provided strong evidence that relationships in these stepfamilies were significantly affected by gendered social practices.

Data from a longitudinal sample of dating couples (some of whom married) were analyzed to test the aspect of Waller's (1938) principle of least interest that states that unequal emotional involvement between romantic partners has implications for relationship quality and stability. Both members of the couples were asked multiple times over several years which partner, if either, was more emotionally involved. Perceptions of unequal emotional involvement were common and tended to remain stable over time. Less emotionally involved partners perceived themselves as having more control over the continuation of their relationships. Equal emotional involvement was associated with greater relationship satisfaction and stability. Concurrent and retrospective perceptions of relative emotional involvement were associated with several aspects of relationship breakup within the subsample of those who broke up during the study. Perceptions of emotional involvement have many implications for dating couples, including being linked to relationship satisfaction and other outcomes. Keywords: emotional involvement; principle of least interest; relationship stabilityIn every love affair there is always one who loves and one who permits himself to be loved.- (French epigram, as cited in Waller, 1938, p. 275) Decades ago, sociologist Willard Waller (1938) observed that in many dating relationships one partner is more emotionally involved than the other and that the less involved partner can exploit the more involved partner in

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Street children (also called children in street situations) are an imprecisely defined group of children who are of concern to many worldwide. The term generally refers to children who live and/or work in city streets or are otherwise street‐connected. Recent international focus on these children has affirmed that, while accurate numerical estimates of them are not available on a global scale, techniques for estimating their prevalence are improving at local levels. Regardless of their exact number, street children are recognized as a group whose rights are frequently violated and for whom societal supports are needed. New efforts to bring far‐flung studies and best practices together are underway.