About one-third of births in the United States occur to unmarried parents. Evidence suggests that children who grow up in families headed by single parents have worse socioeconomic outcomes than those raised by married parents. "Fatherlessness" has become a byword in public debate and policymaking, yet fundamental questions about unmarried parents and their ideas of paternal responsibility remain unanswered.
In My Baby's Father, Maureen R. Waller draws on interviews with unmarried parents whose children receive welfare to address several basic, vital questions: How do low-income…
This chapter summarizes economic theory and evidence regarding the impact of welfare, child support enforcement, and labor markets on the lack of father involvement in circumstances such as divorce, legal separation, or nonmarital births. The discussion reviews trends in family structure and explains how public policy can enhance child well-being by promoting family structures that facilitate father involvement in children's lives. All economic theories about family structure are based on the assumption that individuals make the decision to marry or divorce by weighing the benefits of each…
Economic theory can be used to explain family behavior and trends in marriage, divorce, births, and child development. This chapter provides an economic perspective to explore questions about why some nonresident fathers withhold financial and emotional support from their children. The economic model includes variables such as the level of consumption by each parent and child, shared and private goods, the amount spent on children, parental cooperation, and differences in spending of fathers and mothers. The text summarizes evidence about trends in child support and visitation and the ability…
Forty African American men living in metropolitan Philadelphia were interviewed for a qualitative study of the impact of fatherhood on their behavior, their attitudes toward their role as fathers, and the factors that affect their relationship with their children. The men ranged in age from 16 to 50 years old and all earned less than $8 per hour in legal employment. At least two semi-structured interviews were conducted with each participant. The study is part of a larger research project that will include 480 men in three cities. The men emphasized the importance of relationships with their…
Welfare reform endorsed the notion that both parents should support their children financially, regardless of which parent a child lives with. Accordingly, the reforms emphasized work for custodial parents and strengthened states' ability to enforce child support laws. This approach has increased the number of working single mothers and raised child support payments. It has done less, however, for the children of the 2.5 million nonresident fathers who are poor and do not pay child support. To ensure support for these children--many of whom receive welfare--reformers must view nonresident…
Federal policies are promoting father involvement in families to improve developmental, academic, and economic outcomes for children. This information packet provides an overview of issues related to fatherhood initiatives for providers and consumers of social services. It includes a fact sheet of statistics about effects of fatherlessness, a summary of policies and legislation, and lists of references and web resources. The innovative Georgia Fatherhood Program also is profiled.
