Child Support and Remarriage: Implications for the Economic Well-Being of Children

This article examines the relationship between two determinants of economic well-being for divorced mothers, child support and remarriage. Using a nationally representative sample of non-Black, ever-divorced mothers eligible for child support from the 1979, 1982, 1984, and 1986 March/April match file of the Current Population Survey, we predict the probability of remarriage using four measures of child support awarded and received while controlling for other variables related to remarriage. We find that, for mothers who remarry within 5 years of divorce, child support payments appear to have no adverse impact on remarriage. However, mothers receiving child support and those with above-average amounts of child support are less likely to remarry 5 or more years after divorce. These findings confirm previous evidence for a mild negative effect of child support on remarriage.