Shared Care and Mothers’ Post-separation Economic Wellbeing in Finland and Wisconsin, US: Does Child Support and Sharing Child’s Costs Matter?

Mari Haapanen, Trisha Chanda (), Anneli Miettinen, Quentin H. Riser, Judith Bartfeld and Mia Hakovirta
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Mari Haapanen: University of Turku
Trisha Chanda: University of Turku
Anneli Miettinen: The Social Insurance Institution of Finland
Quentin H. Riser: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Judith Bartfeld: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Mia Hakovirta: University of Turku

Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 2024, vol. 45, issue 4, No 15, 998-1011

Abstract: Abstract Children’s post-separation living arrangements may have important implications for mothers’ economic wellbeing. This study examines self-reported economic wellbeing of mothers with shared versus sole physical custody (also known as shared care) of the child six or more years since separation, using unique survey data on separated parents in Finland (n = 850) and Wisconsin, US (n = 395) in 2019–2020. We use sequential logistic regression models to examine the pathways through which this association potentially occurs—child support and sharing of children’s expenses between parents—and whether the outcomes differ by the family policy contexts of Finland and Wisconsin. Our findings suggest that Wisconsin mothers in shared versus sole physical custody arrangements have significantly lower levels of economic hardship, that are fully explained by greater cost-sharing with the other parent of the child. No such relationship is evident in Finland, although cost-sharing is independently negatively associated with economic hardship of Finnish mothers. Findings highlight how fathers’ contributions as tied to children’s living arrangements matter for post-separation economic wellbeing of mothers, and have implications for shared physical custody and child support policy.

Keywords: Divorce; Joint physical custody; Economic wellbeing; Child support; Cross-country comparison (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1007/s10834-024-09947-x

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