Other, Brief
This paper analyzes legislative proposals that address marriage, and the potential impact on current fatherhood programs serving low-income families. The initiation of fatherhood programs following the passage of the Personal Responsibility Work Opportunities Reconciliation Act in 1996 is reviewed and current legislative proposals are described, including: the Child Support Distribution Act of 2001 and the Fathers Count Act of 1999, which combine child support reform measures with fatherhood provisions; the Strengthening Working Families Act, which contains child support distribution…
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Journal Article About 2.5 million nonresident fathers are poor and do not pay child support. According to the National Survey of America's Families, most noncustodial fathers face the same multiple employment barriers as poor custodial mothers, but are significantly less likely than those mothers to participate in work-support programs such as training, education, job search activities, or income security programs. Before 1996, the government offered an array of financial assistance, housing, and employment training for single mothers. However, nonresident fathers qualified only for food stamps and were not…
Other
This brief uses the 1997 National Survey of America's Families (NSAF) to examine the characteristics of poor nonresident fathers who do not pay child support. We find that these fathers face similar labor market barriers to those faced by the poor mothers, but the fathers have far fewer opportunities to increase their chances of labor market success. We conclude with suggestions about ways to help redress the balance of opportunity.
