TY - JOUR
T1 - Complex Families and Equality in Child Support Obligations
T2 - A Comparative Policy Analysis
AU - Meyer, D.
AU - Skinner, Christine
AU - Davidson, Jacqueline
PY - 2011/10
Y1 - 2011/10
N2 - Family complexity creates difficulties for child support policy. We examine whether policy in 14 countries results in nonresident parents having equal financial obligations to children in different complex family situations. We find that when a nonresident parent owes support to two nonresident children in different families, the most common policy is to have unequal obligations favoring the older child. However, nearly as many countries achieve equal orders, but do so by reducing the obligation to the older child. When a nonresident parent has one nonresident child and a new resident child, the most common strategy is to reduce the obligation to the older nonresident child, but to make no attempt to equalize obligations for both children. Each of the four main policy strategies we identify has advantages, tradeoffs among three principles of equality, affordability of obligations and protecting the first child's standard of living are discussed.
AB - Family complexity creates difficulties for child support policy. We examine whether policy in 14 countries results in nonresident parents having equal financial obligations to children in different complex family situations. We find that when a nonresident parent owes support to two nonresident children in different families, the most common policy is to have unequal obligations favoring the older child. However, nearly as many countries achieve equal orders, but do so by reducing the obligation to the older child. When a nonresident parent has one nonresident child and a new resident child, the most common strategy is to reduce the obligation to the older nonresident child, but to make no attempt to equalize obligations for both children. Each of the four main policy strategies we identify has advantages, tradeoffs among three principles of equality, affordability of obligations and protecting the first child's standard of living are discussed.
KW - comparative research
KW - employment/benefits
KW - social exclusion, income, poverty
KW - family
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=80052146069&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.childyouth.2011.05.011
DO - 10.1016/j.childyouth.2011.05.011
M3 - Article
SN - 0190-7409
VL - 33
SP - 1804
EP - 1812
JO - Children and Youth Services Review
JF - Children and Youth Services Review
IS - 10
ER -