This paper examines the demographic and economic characteristics of single-father families, with particular attention to public transfer receipt. Cohabiting and non-cohabiting single fathers are examined and compared to fathers in married-couple families. Estimates from the 1997 March, Current Population Survey (CPS) are featured. Selected trend data for 1984, 1989, and 1996 are also presented. The analyses show that single fathers earn substantially less than married fathers, have lower household incomes, are less educated, and are substantially more likely to be receiving public transfers.…
The executive summary of the National Center for Children in Poverty's 2000 report finds several important developments since the mid-1990s that have critical implications for young children and their families. The survey finds the number of working mothers continues to increase, with 59 percent of mothers with infants under one year working outside the home in full- and part-time jobs. Seventy-three percent of mothers with children over the age of one year held some job, and fifty-two percent were full-time workers. The 1996 welfare reform act has played a key role in this increase, however…
State and local policymakers are advised to follow a six-step strategy for developing initiatives to promote father-child relationships: teach men to be good parents; help fathers improve relationships with the mothers of their children; facilitate employment for low-income fathers; allocate federal funds to programs for fathers; enhance the child support system; and increase public awareness about the value of fathers. This guide describes the considerations for each step and recommends action strategies for government officials. Suggestions include: integrate fatherhood modules into sex…
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Training Materials Based on the experiences of the Colorado Fatherhood Connection, this guide for community organizations explains how to develop programs to promote father involvement in family life. The chapters describe the important roles of fathers and outline practical strategies for assessing the needs of the community and planning programs. Considerations for board structure, the identification of available resources, the definition of mission and goals, staff requirements, marketing strategies, and budgeting are discussed. The resource guide also provides profiles of effective models that have been…
This fact sheet proposes ways in which fatherhood programs and state entities can work together to engage fathers. Suggestions include: facilitate collaborative relationships between local service providers and state entities like child support enforcement agencies and court systems; use state institutions as a connection point to refer low-income fathers to help them get jobs; develop a community outreach strategy that helps community providers better understand systemic issues related to child support and visitation; create a liaison that works directly with program providers to coordinate…
This fact sheet proposes ways in which state and local policymakers can engage fathers in a social network. Some suggestions include: Use state institutions' child support and welfare agencies and the courts' access points to connect low-income fathers with services; develop a statewide strategy for service delivery that combines state and local partnerships; develop outcome-based performance measures to assist state agencies to direct efforts toward developing comprehensive fatherhood services; use independent boards or commissions to oversee fatherhood projects; use the budget process to…
This fact sheet proposes ways in which welfare funds can be used to provide services to fathers. Some of the suggestions provided include: create eligibility categories for services that include fathers; include fathers in definitions of families to allow eligibility; ensure state agencies maximize this flexibilityto provide services to working poor fathers andtheir families to minimize the risk they will go on welfare; direct funding to provide employment andparenting and relationship services to fathers. (Author abstract, modified).
This article examines the impact of the recent dramatic changes in the social policies, particularly the expansion of the EITC and welfare reform on labor supply, marriage, and cohabitation. Altered policies have increased incentives to work or marry for some, diminished incentives for others. The results strongly indicate expanded work by single mothers and reductions of work by married mothers in accordance with their changed incentives. By contrast, estimated impacts on marriage are small and ambiguous, though modest changes in cohabitation in the predicted direction suggest that impact on…
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According to the 1997 National Survey of America's Families, 2.6 million nonresident fathers have family incomes below the poverty line and most of them face multiple employment barriers, including a criminal record, lack of a high school education, relatively little recent work experience, and poor health. Although these employment barriers are similar to those faced by poor custodial mothers, poor nonresident fathers are significantly less likely than poor custodial mothers to participate in training, education, and job search activities as well as income security programs. Given that…
