Investigated whether observed divorce settlements suggest that parents make trade-offs between several dimensions related to their children (custody, visitation, support) and marital property. Data from National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 support notion that parents make such trade-offs. (Author/NB)

Examined differences in treatment of noncustodial mothers and noncustodial fathers by courts at time of divorce. Data from 1,043 court cases revealed that, looking at child support, noncustodial mothers appeared to have economic advantage over noncustodial fathers. Further analysis revealed that noncustodial mothers were in more economic danger…

Provided fathers' reports, matched to mothers', and court record data concerning nonpayment of child support. The court records were shown to be an underestimate. Fathers' reports of compliance was much higher than mothers' reports, illustrating that both might be biased in opposite directions. Ability to pay was shown to be a key correlate of…

Examined three data sets to explore assumptions about custodial fathers: there are few father-only families, most custodial fathers have remarried, many single fathers are widowers, custodial fathers have high incomes, and fathers primarily receive custody of older boys. Concluded that many assumptions are untrue and that child support policies…

This report presents data on single parent families, focusing on the child support income that custodial parents reported receiving during the calendar year prior to the survey as well as other support provided, such as health insurance and non-cash support for children up to age 21 years. Data came from the April 2000 supplement to the Current…

Interviewed 32 members from fathers' rights groups about postdivorce parenting experiences, troubles with family law practices, and posturing on fathers' rights platform. Fathers presented uniform voice in support of fathers' rights' public image of caring fathers who want men to be recognized as fathers and who are requesting equitable treatment…

Examined child-related, postdivorce litigation in families with young children by reviewing legal records of 700 divorced couples without children and 700 couples with young children. Data revealed high relitigation rate, particularly among parents. Support issues were relitigated more frequently than were visitation and custody issues. (Author/NB)

Used data from 212 divorced fathers to investigate relationships between frequency of father-child contact, visitation quality, and child support payment. Found that fathers who saw their children frequently tended to live nearby, reported higher levels of father-child closeness before divorce, and were more likely to have joint custody. Found…

Describes recent changes in divorce laws in United States, England, Wales, France, and Sweden. Notes that divorce has become increasingly easy to obtain; spousal support has become less common; efforts have been made to increase child support awards and to improve payment compliance; and shared parental decision-making authority has become…

Dealing predominantly with issues related to divorce and custody, this conference proceedings contains 20 papers or summaries; they are: (1) "Choices, Challenges, Changes" (Constance Ahrons); (2) "The History of the Joint Custody Movement" (Karen DeCrow); (3) "Children Held Hostage: Dealing with Programmed and Brainwashed…

"Speak Out for Children" is the quarterly newsletter of the Children's Rights Council (CRC), which is concerned with the healthy development of children of divorced and separated parents. The newsletter consists of feature articles and regular sections and columns. Feature articles of Volume 8, Number 1 are: "The Controversial…

The National Council for Children's Rights (NCCR) is a Washington-based advocacy group concerned with public policy affecting children of divorced and separated parents. This document contains papers presented at an NCCR conference. (Since publication of these proceedings, the organization has changed its name to the Children's Rights Council.)…

Emphasizing the shortcomings of family law and their impact on divorced families and children, this report discusses a variety of topics related to divorce. Topics covered in the report include the following: (1) divorce statistics; (2) methods of resolving family disputes; (3) the marital contract; (4) the public's image of divorced fathers; (5)…

This document contains 17 conference presentations: (1) "Results of an Evaluation of Five Access Enforcement Programs" (Jessica Pearson); (2) "Conflict and Children's Post-Divorce Adjustment: A Closer Look" (Joan B. Kelly); (3) "What's Normal' for Stepfamilies?" (Claire Berman); (4) "How Psychiatry Promotes Child…

The welfare of children in Lagos, Nigeria, after marital disruption was assessed using 1,000 social welfare case records. Findings include: single custody was commonly practiced; few of the women remarried; and many of the biological fathers were not responsible for the maintenance of their children, and the few that were defaulted regularly.…