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Since the mid-1970s, the number of single-parent families has increased greatly in the U.S., contributing to the nation's child poverty problem. In response, the federal government and various states have tried to increase child support payments from non-custodial parents. Using data from administrative records and from the child support modules in the Survey of Income Program and Participation (SIPP) and the April and March Current Population Surveys (CPS), we find that the proportion of never married mothers receiving child support rose sharply in the 1980s and 1990s, with the largest increases in states where child support payment were particularly modest. Using within-state variation over time to determine the effect of policy on child support payments, we estimate that increased government expenditures on child support policies are responsible for about one fifth of the upward trend. Our results show that child support expenditures and tougher child support legislation policies work best in tandem. States that both increased expenditures and adopted tougher laws experienced the largest increase in the proportion of never married mothers receiving support.

Single mothers

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Mothers --- Motherhood --- Child rearing --- Parenting

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Mothers --- Pregnancy --- Mères --- Mortality. --- Complications --- Mortalité

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Mothers and daughters --- Women --- Dublin (Ireland)

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During the 1990s lone motherhood has become a major political issue - but what is the problem actually about and to what extent is it new? This timely study, by three leading experts in the field, examines the changes that have taken place in the pathways into lone motherhood, in ideas about marriage, divorce and never-married motherhood, and in policies towards lone mothers in housing, social security, and employment. The findings illustrate both the complexity of the issues and the extent to which policies have reflected the changing way in which the problem has been defined.

Single mothers --- Unmarried mothers --- Women heads of households --- History --- History --- History