Study: Moms Less Likely to Pay Child Support than Dads, and For Good Reason

A new study revealed some information that may have been surprising to some people: a higher percentage of non-custodial mothers fail to make their child support payments than non-custodial fathers.

According to the study, in 2011, approximately 32 percent of custodial fathers did not receive a single dollar of the total child support they were owed, compared to 25.1 percent of custodial mothers. On the flip side, 43.6 percent of custodial mothers received the total amount of support they were owed, compared to 41.6 percent of custodial fathers.

However, these numbers can be misleading without other numbers and facts to put them into context:

• Fathers make up only 18.3 percent of the custodial parents in the United States as of 2011, meaning there is still a significantly greater number of delinquent fathers than mothers
• The average income of custodial fathers that do not receive their full amount of child support is $51,791, compared to only $26,231 for mothers. So custodial fathers make approximately twice as much as the average single mom.
• As of 2011, approximately 31.8 percent of single moms were below the poverty line, whereas single dads below the poverty line were about half that figure.

So while it is true that a higher percentage of custodial mothers fail to make their support payments, this would seem to be due to a variety of factors, most notably a significant difference in income and a greater likelihood that they are living in poverty.

If you need help enforcing your child support arrangement, consult the dedicated divorce attorneys at Bryan L. Salamone & Associates.