The world today is not the same as it was just a few decades ago. This change has even been reflected in the way judges are determining who should provide the child support when a marriage ends in divorce. This shift may have impacted many families in Georgia just as it has throughout the country.
Just as many mothers are now frequently supplying more than half of the family income, they are also being tagged to make child support payments in the event of a divorce. This represents the recognition that women are becoming more independent and less likely to require provisions. In fact, as a result of women earning more in the workforce, they are also paying spousal support as well, especially whenever the father may have reduced his work responsibilities in order to be more active in raising the children.
Since the 1960s, one out of every six child custody cases has been awarded to fathers. These include those situations where the parents may have a shared custody agreement between them. Of these decisions, the fathers are receiving child support in about one-third of the arrangements as opposed to mother-headed households that are receiving support payments in one-half of the decisions.
One thing that hasn’t changed is the number of parents who are falling behind in child support payments. Regardless of which parent is required to pay, close to one-third of them are behind or don’t make the payments at all, which in turn can end up hurting the children for which the payments are meant. Georgia families who are in the midst of divorce proceedings and attempting to decide such matters as child support and custody have may considerations to take into account. Being able to settle some of these issues may require further information in order to decide on what is in the best interest of the child. There are resources that can supply the most current and up-to-date documents that may enable parents to arrive at the best solutions for their family.
Source: commdiginews.com, “More women paying child support, spousal support“, Myra Fleischer, May 27, 2014