Socioeconomic Resources of Parents and Award of Child Support in the United States: Some Exploratory Models

The American system of family and kinship is undergoing considerable change. Decreasing stability in the nuclear family has called into question the role of parents in providing for children across separate households. A significant proportion of absent parents do not make economic contributions to the well-being of their children. As a consequence, children living in single-parent homes run a greater risk of living in poverty than children in two-parent homes. This study examines the determinants of child support awards and amounts for a sample of ever-divorced women from the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972. The argument is that the socioeconomic resources of parents at divorce influence the amount and award of child support. The results indicate that socioeconomic resources are significant predictors of child support outcomes.