Welfare and the Dissolution of Child-Parent Living Arrangements.

PARENT-child relationships; FAMILIES; LEGISLATION; INCOME; PUBLIC welfare; SOCIOLOGY

In terms of the theoretical framework, one critical point that merits further consideration is that the decision for a child-parent union to dissolve is very different from the decision of parents to have children. A substantial body of research has examined the decision to have a child or additional children. In that case, a parent contemplates the birth of a yet unknown child. In this article, the point of reference is completely different, a parent is contemplating separating from his/her known child. In this latter case, there are tremendous emotional ties that bind children to their parents. Furthermore, from a practical standpoint, parents may be reluctant to surrender their children given concerns that they will not be able to easily get them back, either for emotional and/or legal reasons. Taken at face value, the results obtained here, in the article, suggest that parent-child dissolution will increase if incomes/benefits are reduced. It is also useful to consider this article in light of the 1996 welfare legislation, which established a new welfare program called Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. Among the changes, states are mandated to limit cash benefits to five years of cumulative receipt, recipients must work after two years, and states have much greater latitude than in the past to structure their programs.