Falling Further Behind? Child Support Arrears and Fathers’ Labor Force Participation

Abstract

This study examines how child support arrears affect fathers’ labor force participation. It relies on longitudinal data from the Fragile Families and Child Well-Being Study. Findings from analyses of these data suggest that child support arrears result in declines in average weeks worked in the formal labor market in subsequent time periods. These findings are driven by the behaviors of fathers who had relatively high amounts of arrears and no income in the previous year and are mostly robust to tests for selection into no work or low levels of work by fathers. Findings also suggest that arrears obligations that are low relative to income result in increases in the probability that fathers engage in any formal work. Arrears are not statistically significantly related to informal labor force participation. This study highlights both intended and unintended consequences of the growth in arrears under current child support enforcement policies.

Indebted Relationships: Child Support Arrears and Nonresident Fathers' Involvement With Children

“…Child support arrears have grown to more than $100 billion dollars in the United States, and most of this outstanding debt is owed by men with very limited earnings (Sorensen et al, ). Although few studies have investigated the meaning of child support debt for low‐income families, research shows that arrears reduce nonresident fathers' labor force participation and child support payments (Cancian et al, ; Miller & Mincy, ). This is among the first studies we are aware of that uses national data to examine whether accruing child support arrears is linked to nonresident fathers' involvement with children.…”

Paternal Multiple Partner Fertility and Environmental Chaos Among Unmarried Nonresident Fathers

“…Because they often fail to account for family complexity, many child support policies require MPF fathers to pay more per child compared to other fathers with the same amount of non-resident children (Cancian, Meyer, & Han, 2011), and MPF fathers disproportionately pay less than what is owed (Sorensen, Sousa, & Schaner, 2007). When child support obligations exceed their ability to pay, some fathers may choose to work less rather than attempt to keep up with high levels of child support and arrears (Holzer, Offner, & Sorensen, 2005; Miller & Mincy, 2012), particularly when extended work hours result in the lack of time and money for visitation with children (Threlfall, Seay, & Kohl, 2013). In these circumstances, low-income fathers often adjust their expectations to “giving what I can when I can” rather than being “perfect providers” (Roy, Palkovitz, & Fagan, 2007, p. 13).…”

Patterns of child support debt accumulation

“…Only Sorensen and colleagues (Sorensen, Koball, Pomper, & Zibman, 2003;Sorensen et al, 2007) have specifically examined who owes how much arrears. Several other studies discuss potential policies to reduce arrears among noncustodial parents with large arrears (Bartfeld, 2003;Heinrich et al, 2011;Roberts, 2001), or examine the effects of arrears on noncustodial parents' earnings or employment (Cancian et al, 2013;Miller & Mincy, 2012).…”

“…When child support is not paid and arrears accumulate, children in custodial-parent families are not receiving reliable financial support and noncustodial parents are subject to enforcement actions including suspension of a driver's license or even incarceration, while facing significant interest charges on the arrears. Research also suggests that child support arrears may exacerbate future hardships for families by reducing noncustodial parents' subsequent compliance with ongoing child support obligations and discouraging noncustodial parents' employment (Bartfeld, 2005;Bartfeld & Meyer, 2003;Cancian, Heinrich, & Chung, 2013;Miller & Mincy, 2012;Pate, 2010;Waller & Plotnick, 2001). The persistence of high child support arrears creates significant problems for states as well, because addressing arrears requires a substantial amount of child support enforcement resources, and low payment rates on arrears reduce state scores on federal performance measures, leading to lower incentive payments from the federal government.…”