This book provides a cross-cultural perspective on the family by examining family life in 25 countries worldwide. The countries included in this volume are organized by six world regions including Africa, Asia/South Pacific, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and North America-offering readers the most thorough and balanced cross-cultural examination of world families available. Editors Bert N. Adams and Jan Trost, along with contributions by top family studies experts from around the world, ensure reliable, cutting-edge research and perspectives. Each chapter of the Handbook is organized in a parallel format beginning with an introduction to the region, followed by coverage of mate selection, fertility and socialization, gender roles, marriage, stresses and violence, divorce and remarriage, kinship, aging and death, family and other institutions, and special topics specific to the region.