Pursuing Errant Fathers: Maintenance Systems in Three Western Countries

Abstract

Western countries, notably the United Kingdom, the USA and Australia, are involved in a great debate about how financial support for children should be shared between custodial and non-custodial parents, and between single parents and the state. Recent developments in these countries have been similar in that the state benefits paid to single parents and their children declined in real value during the 1980s, and greater financial responsibility was placed on non-custodial parents, including those living in poverty.