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This article compares links between family structure and children’s subjective well-being in eight European countries, based on surveys of 19,000 children aged around 12 years old. It describes the family types in which children live ; explores variations in their satisfaction with family life by family type ; and considers two factors which may explain these variations – material deprivation and time spent with family. It finds that the pattern of variations differs across countries and may need to be understood within specific national contexts. Differences in material deprivation and time spent with family only partly explained why children were less satisfied with their family lives in some family types. The amount of time children spent with their family was a stronger predictor than family type of satisfaction with family life. This supports previous research indicating that family functioning is more important for child well-being than family structure.