Child support
| It's not just a good idea |
| Random enforcement |
Child support, when used in a legal context, refers to payments made by one parent to help the other parent pay for the expenses incurred in raising their children. This system has been criticized, often by men's rights advocates, for sometimes placing a heavier burden than can be afforded by the paying parent, who is often the father. At the same time, women's advocates often complain at the ease with which non-custodial parents can evade their responsibilities if they so desire.
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[edit] Custody
When a child has two living, unmarried parents, custody is ceded by one parent or awarded by the court. At the time or later, the non-custodial parent may agree or be ordered to pay child support. Though a parent may choose to opt out of the actual child-rearing, they are generally considered to be obligated to at least chip in financially.
[edit] Problems
[edit] Collection
A deadbeat parent will often "forget" to send payments. Only 42% of mothers receiving child support get all that they owe (and 34% of fathers).[1] The law is usually on the custodial parent's side, and deadbeats can even be put in jail, but collecting can be such a hassle that some just don't bother.
[edit] Unfair?
Some allege gender bias, and they may not be wrong. More saliently, a woman is given the opportunity to abort (hopefully) or adopt. If she chooses to raise the child, the father is expected to subsidize her life choice for 18 years. Conversely, the woman may want to put the baby up for adoption, but the man wants to be a dad and assumes custody. Now she's on the hook for 18 years. Either way, one person can make a unilateral decision, and the other pays for it.
Some feminists dislike this state of affairs; Karen DeCrow, one-time president of the National Organization for Women, has argued that that fathers should have the chance to opt out, saying "[A]utonomous women making independent decisions about their lives should not expect men to finance their choice."[2]