DEADBEAT DADS This page intentionally left blank DEADBEAT DADS A National Child Support Scandal Marcia Mobilia Boumil and Joel Friedman p ws , PRAEGER *- " " SSI Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Boumil, Marcia Mobilia. Deadbeat dads : a national child support scandal / Marcia Mobilia Boumil, Joel Friedman, p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-275-95125-1 (alk. paper) 1. Child support—United States. 2. Child support—Government policy—United States. 3. Desertion and non-support—United States. 4. Fathers—United States—Economic conditions. I. Friedman, Joel. II. Title. HV741.B693 1996 362.7'1 — dc20 95-34410 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is available. Copyright © 1996 by Marcia Mobilia Boumil and Joel Friedman All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, by any process or technique, without the express written consent of the publisher. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 95-34410 ISBN: 0-275-95125-1 First published in 1996 Praeger Publishers, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881 An imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. Printed in the United States of America <§>™ The paper used in this book complies with the Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National Information Standards Organization (Z39.48-1984). 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 32 To James and Gregory Boumil, and David, Peter and James Friedman, ournext generation of dads. We hope theirparents have shown the way. This page intentionally left blank Contents PREFACE ix 1 The Deadbeat Epidemic: A New Genveration of Neglected Children l 2 Children of Divorce: The Psychological Consequences of Divorce and Absent Parents 19 3 The Effect of Fault and No-Fault Divorce Laws on Child Support 39 4 When Paternity Is Contested ... 51 5 Legal Guidelines for Establishing and Enforcing Child Support Awards 67 6 Child Custody Alternatives and Their Impact on the Payment of Support 87 7 Deadbeat Dads and Single Moms: Who They Are 103 Vlll Contents 8 Social Relationships, Economic Responsibility, and the Deadbeat Epidemic 129 BIBLIOGRAPHY 141 INDEX 147 Preface In recent months, various political voices have indicated a strong desire to track down absent parents (usually fathers) who have absconded without fulfilling child support obligations to their biological or adopted children. The intent is to locate these parents and make them pay. In large part, this renewed interest in "deadbeat dads" has resulted from a recognition that social welfare programs, which pick up the tab for abandoned children, are contributing significantly to an ever-increasing federal budget deficit. In past years, the relative inattention toward pursuing absent parents in part resulted from the notion that it was as burdensome to regulate payment as it was simply to pay the bill. Of course, there were other reasons as well that the climate was not right for vigorously enforcing these moral as well as legal obliga tions: a father who deserted his children was a disgrace and to pursue him would further the insult. Today we are all forced to come to terms with the reality that choosing not to pursue absent parents is a luxury that state and federal budgets can no longer afford. At the same time, the deadbeat epidemic has somehow become more of a moral issue than it was thought to be in the past, and the decision to pursue such delinquents is one that stirs up great controversy. This controversy