Some might question if the problem was the fact that it's a second marriage for both, which often has a more dismal divorce
record than a first marriage but not always; some second marriages struggle because blending families with young children can be a challenge more than anything else.
As a
first step in that process, MDRC went back to the state of Minnesota to obtain divorce and
marriage records for the full sample of 2,200 two - parent MFIP families (including both recipients and applicants) for a follow - up period of more
than six years.