One of the downsides to single parenting is that one parent often struggles financially due to a lack of child support. An economics professor has asserted that the rise of single parenthood is linked to a lower percentage of men spending time and money to help raise their children. Texas parents in this situation may wish to explore their legal options to ensure the child support they are entitled to is paid in a timely manner.
Many conversations about single mothers tend to focus on personal choices and fault them for making the decision to bring a child into the world with no firm commitment from the other parent. However, the majority of single mothers have been married before. A statistic from 2010 shows that 62 percent of mothers who have custody of their children and no biological father in the home were either still married or divorced at the time.
However, public policies appear to have avoided addressing the child support issue. While small-scale efforts were accomplished, they simply promoted marriage and ignored the plight of the single mother. Reports for 2009 indicate that only 41 percent of predominantly female single parents were paid required child support. However, while some fathers just chose not to pay, others were affected by the poor economy and simply could not pay what they owed.
Regardless, both men and women have a duty to pay court-ordered child support. If a Texas parent struggles to pay their monthly support due to financial issues, they can explore their legal options to see if they can have the amount reduced. Child support is necessary because of the costs to raise a child, and one parent should not have to bear the brunt of the financial burden. Examining all available legal options can help parents struggling to make their monthly support, potentially enabling them to implement a plan that helps them meet their financial requirements.
Source: The New York Times, “Discouraged Dads,” Nancy Folbre, July 23, 2012
