Child Support Arrears
According to the United States Census Bureau, 42% of custodial mothers (as "obligees") received all child support that they were owed and 70.5% received some. Additionally, 34.1% of custodial fathers (as "obligees") received all child support that they were owed and 72.9% received some.
Child support assessments are made based on a variety of formulae, and vary from state to state in the United States. According to one study 38% of Illinois "obligor" parents not paying child-support said they lacked the money to pay. 23% used non-payment to protest a lack of visitation rights. 69% complained of no accountability over the spending of their child support money, while 13% said they did not want their child or children and 12% denied parentage. (See paternity fraud.)
According to a California study, 76% of the $14.4 billion in child support arrears in California has been attributed to "obligors" who lack the ability to pay (see Figure 1, p.5-4). In California, the "deadbeat" parents had a median annual income of $6349, arrears of $9447, ongoing support of $300 per month. One reason given for this was that 71% of the orders were set by default—meaning that person who supposedly owes support was not personally served with a notice to appear before the court or administrative agency. A notice is sent to the last known address, which may have changed.
Alternative terms for deadbeat parents who lack the ability to pay are "deadbroke" and "turnip" (as in "You can't get blood out of a turnip").
Read more about this topic: Deadbeat Parent
Famous quotes containing the words child and/or support:
“A child should always say what’s true
And speak when he is spoken to,
And behave mannerly at table;
At least as far as he is able.”
—Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894)
“In erotic love, two people who were separate become one. In motherly love, two people who were one become separate. The mother must not only tolerate, she must wish and support the child’s separation.”
—Erich Fromm (20th century)