As family structure has changed in the UK, childcare arrangements have also become more diverse and complex. What are the implications of these changes for children? Introduction Over the last 50 years or so, family life has changed to become more diverse and complex, which has been a source of research by social scientists, particularly into the effects of divorce on children. Marriage is no longer an institution that couples must endure if times are tough, divorce is easier, and cohabitation is more morally acceptable. The ideology of the nuclear family, while not outdated, is not the only type of family in which to raise children. More complex modern family arrangements include stepfamilies, lone parents, step-sibling relationships, and shared care arrangements, which are the subject of more recent research. For the purposes of this study we will focus on research relating to divorce and new arrangements for children. A psychological study reported divorce as pathological; perhaps in the beginning they used moral judgments to imply that "divorce is bad for children." They feel like their childhood has been lost forever. Divorce is a price they pay, as a reward for their parents' failures, jeopardizing their future lives" (Wallerstein and Blakeslee, 1989, p. 43). More modern and liberalized studies are comparing divorced children with non-divorced ones , to demonstrate that children of divorce families may have been mislabeled and in some cases this may be a positive change. It is this more optimistic view that this research seeks to promote. the ideological family unit that existed in the past is less common and attitudes are changing (Kelly 2003, p 237).C...... middle of paper......hood, 10, 131-146.Pryor, J., & Rodgers, B. (2001). Children in changing family life after parental separation. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers Ltd. Simpson, B. (1998). separation. Oxford: Berg. Smart, C. (2003). Introduction: New Perspectives on Childhood and Divorce. Childhood, 123-129.Smart, C., & May, V. (2007). The parenting contest: Children's ongoing conflict issues. In M. Maclean (Ed.), Parenting after Partnering, containing conflict after separation (pp. 65 - 80). Oxford: Hart Publishing.Trinder, L. (2007). Dangerous fathers and malicious mothers: The importance of gender in contact disputes. In M. Maclean (Ed.), Parenting after Partnering, containing conflict after separation (pp. 81-94). Oxford: Hart Publishing. Wallerstein, J. S., & Blakeslee, S. (1989). Second chances. Reading: Corgi.