How Is Child Support Regularity Associated with Custodial Mothers’ Employment? Evidence from the United States

Datos Bibliográficos

ID10539552
AutoresLaura Cuesta (0000-0002-9240-7240, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, autor de correspondencia), A R Pilarz (0000-0002-4831-6106, University of Wisconsin–Madison)
Año2024
Volumen98
Número2
Páginas215-259
Fecha de publicación2024-05-30
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaSocial Service Review (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0037-7961 • E-ISSN: 1537-5404
EditorialUniversity of Chicago Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1086/730169
OpenAlexW4399167261
IdiomaEN
Referencias citadas65

Custodial mothers experience high rates of poverty and income volatility in the United States. Emerging evidence suggests that the regularity of child support is positively associated with the regularity of family income and ability to meet basic needs. However, we know little about how child support regularity matters for mothers’ employment. In this study, we examine the associations between child support regularity and custodial mothers’ employment in a nationally representative US sample covering 1997–2019. We find that regular child support receipt, versus no receipt, is associated with increases in part-time employment and decreases in full-time employment but find no associations with annual weeks worked or earnings. Among employed mothers, we also find increases in job stability within the year. We find some heterogeneity in these associations by maternal education and age of youngest child. Our findings suggest that child support regularity might support mothers’ stable part-time employment without compromising earnings

Child custody · Criminology · Demographic economics · Developmental psychology · Economics · Political science · Family Dynamics and Relationships · Gender, Labor, and Family Dynamics · Psychology · Work-Family Balance Challenges