This text applies a sociological imagination to explore both the private, personal side of family life as well the public, institutional nature of "the Family." It shows that many family concerns are actually social issues that need to be addressed through sound social policies.

The author, Karen Seccombe, encourages students to think about families beyond their own personal experiences, and even beyond family structure in the United States. Her goal is to impart a passion for critical thinking as students see that families exist within social worlds.

Families and Their Social Worlds shows that our conceptions of families are imbedded within our social structure, and that families represent a set of rules, regulations and norms that are situated in a particular culture in a particular historical time.

Important policy considerations are imbedded in each chapter to illustrate what is currently being done, and perhaps even more importantly, what can be done to strengthen families and intimate relationships.