Stepparent Support of Stepchildren: The Changing Legal Context and the Need for Empirical Policy Research

Abstract

Because of the increase in the number of stepfamilies, it is likely that new laws explicitly related to stepfamilies will be adopted. Unfortunately, there is little empirical research to guide the content of these laws. This article reviews federal and state law on one issue--stepparent support of stepchildren--and outlines the areas in which social science research is needed for policy development