Answer:
Assuming that he is saying it metaphorically, it most likely means that segregation was still going on and that they still were forced too be different people.
Half of all marriages end in divorce.
The gap between richer and poorer Americans has grown.
Fewer adults are marrying.
Non-traditional family structures have become more common.
Contemporary family is marked by diversity. The new modern family arrangements allow for various configurations. The present complexity around the family issue is repeatedly pointed out in the bibliography; a single concept is insufficient to cover it, several configurations are possible.
