Through the Eyes of a Father: How PRWORA Affects Non-Resident Fathers and Their Children
* Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice and Social Psychology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557 USA.
mkmiller{at}unr.edu.
Under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), new laws have been enacted that focus on reducing single-parent families’ reliance on state assistance by collecting child support from non-custodial parents (typically fathers). These laws pressure fathers to pay child support through stricter penalties for non-payment, but do not help fathers overcome barriers (eg, unstable employment) that prevent payment. In addition, PRWORA does not help fathers gain access to their children, which, according to research, promotes payment and child welfare. A literature review indicates that children who grow up without a father experience more psychosocial difficulty and diminished well-being compared to children who grow up in a two parent household. Thus, it is recommended that the federal government make greater efforts to assist fathers in their ability to provide emotional and developmental guidance for their children through father involvement programmes. Programmes such as mediation, parenting plans, joint custody, and parental education promote the well-being of the children and encourage non-residential parents to fulfill their financial commitments to their offspring, reducing the need for state aid.