Children in
Single-Parent Families
Suffer from Lack of Support
Single Parents Receive Inadequate Child
Support
Mothers with custody in Minnesota report getting an average of
$177 per month in support for each child. The USDA estimates that
the cost of raising children is almost twice as much. The
estimates do not include child care or post-secondary education
costs. *
A study** of 1,153 Minnesota custody and divorce
settlements shows that 32% of child support awards were less than Minnesota child
support guidelines
In court settlements, other forms of income and expenses were
stated inconsistently and/or incompletely. These included income
from bonuses and commissions, and expenses such as private school
costs, life insurance, and health and dental insurance.
Most Children in Single-Parent Families
Are Poor
- Female-headed, single-parent families have the highest poverty
rate of any type of family. 54% of children in such households
are poor. Their average income was $12,000 in 1988, compared to
over $40,000 for two-parent families.***
- 12% of Minnesota children lived with a single parent in 1980.
- 1990 figures are expected to show that 20% of Minnesota
children lived in a single-parent household. Incomes in these
households average one-half of the state's median income. *
- 76 % of Minnesota children on AFDC (80,560) live in single
parent homes.***
Children Suffer Because of Lack of
Attention in the Courts
Many private attorneys do not understand Minnesota's automatic
income withholding (AIW) law.
Child support guidelines are often disregarded. (Are judges
uninformed, or do they lack interest in child support cases?)
FACT FIND Suggests that Legislators:
Define more rigorous penalties and methods to implement
enforcement of payments to ensure that awards are actually
collected.
Develop a child support insurance system that will provide
funds when child support from the absent parent is uncorrectable
in order to guarantee every child a minimum level of support.
Provide information and training regarding existing Minnesota
laws for judges and lawyers.
Review child support guidelines to be sure that custodial
parents will have enough money to provide adequate care for their
children.
- Putting It All Together: Building an Early Childhood
Development System in Minnesota, Task Force on the Early
Education and Care of Young Children for the Minnesota
Council on Children, Youth and Families, October 1989.
**K. Rettig and L. Yellowthunder, et al., Economic
Consequences of Divorce for Men. Women and Children in Minnesota:
A Preliminary Report, June 1989.
***"Minnesota Children: Indicators and Trends," 1990
Report of the Minnesota State Planning Agency, December 1990.
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1992 issue (2nd of 5
issues)