IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/pri/crcwel/wp17-24-ff.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Understanding Child Support Trajectories

Author

Listed:
  • Laurel Sariscsany

    (Columbia University)

  • Irwin Garfinkel

    (Columbia University)

  • Lenna Nepomnyaschy

    (Rutgers University)

Abstract

Fathers' financial contributions to nonresident children are a key focus of policy and research and have been found to improve children’s economic circumstances and well-being. However, little is known about how fathers’ contributions change as children age and by parents’ relationship histories. This study, using longitudinal data on children from birth to age 15, examines the trajectories of formal, informal, and total cash support that mothers receive from nonresident fathers. Using the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, patterns of child support payments for never-cohabiting, previously cohabiting, and previously-married parents are analyzed for up to 15 years since parents' separation. Analyses are based on 11,886 repeated observations (3,331 unique observations). Preliminary results indicate similar trajectories by relationship history in the short-term, but differences emerging in the longer-term, with decreases in total support among the previously-married (consistent with prior research) and increases among the unmarried.

Suggested Citation

  • Laurel Sariscsany & Irwin Garfinkel & Lenna Nepomnyaschy, 2017. "Understanding Child Support Trajectories," Working Papers wp17-24-ff, Princeton University, School of Public and International Affairs, Center for Research on Child Wellbeing..
    • Handle: RePEc:pri:crcwel:wp17-24-ff
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://fragilefamilies.princeton.edu/sites/fragilefamilies/files/wp17-24-ff.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:pri:crcwel:wp17-24-ff. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Bobray Bordelon (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/ccprius.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.