IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/jfamec/v44y2023i1d10.1007_s10834-022-09818-3.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Mothers’ Economic Well-Being in Sole and Joint Physical Custody Families

Author

Listed:
  • Lara Augustijn

    (University of Duisburg-Essen)

Abstract

Previous research has repeatedly shown that separation or divorce can lead to a substantial decline in economic resources, and that it is mostly mothers who suffer from the severe economic consequences. Because it has also been established that the post-separation care arrangement that a family practices is a central factor in explaining mothers’ poor economic situations after family dissolution, this study investigated the association between physical custody arrangements (sole physical custody, asymmetric joint physical custody, and symmetric joint physical custody) and the economic well-being of 1018 residential mothers from the Family Models in Germany study. The results of the ordered logistic regression models showed that mothers in asymmetric and symmetric joint physical custody families reported higher levels of economic well-being than mothers with sole physical custody. When controlling for a set of confounders, the differences between mothers with sole physical custody and symmetric joint physical custody disappeared, which suggests that the economic advantages of mothers with symmetric joint physical custody can be fully explained by factors like the mothers’ working hours, their personal net income, their partnership status, and the fairness of their financial arrangement with their former partner. In contrast, the relationship between asymmetric joint physical custody and mothers’ economic situations remained significant even after control variables were included in the regression models. However, the question of what role selection processes among parents play in explaining the observed differences in post-separation economic well-being between mothers in sole and joint physical custody families remains open.

Suggested Citation

  • Lara Augustijn, 2023. "Mothers’ Economic Well-Being in Sole and Joint Physical Custody Families," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 44(1), pages 53-64, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jfamec:v:44:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1007_s10834-022-09818-3
    DOI: 10.1007/s10834-022-09818-3
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10834-022-09818-3
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10834-022-09818-3?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Cynthia Osborne & Lawrence Berger & Katherine Magnuson, 2012. "Family Structure Transitions and Changes in Maternal Resources and Well-being," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 49(1), pages 23-47, February.
    2. Gary S. Becker, 1981. "A Treatise on the Family," NBER Books, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc, number beck81-1.
    3. Steinbach, Anja & Brocker, Sven A. & Augustijn, Lara, 2020. "The survey on "Family Models in Germany" (FAMOD): A description of the data," Duisburger Beiträge zur soziologischen Forschung 2020-01, University of Duisburg-Essen, Institute of Sociology.
    4. Ragni Hege Kitterød & Jan Lyngstad, 2012. "Untraditional caring arrangements among parents living apart," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 27(5), pages 121-152.
    5. An Sodermans & Sarah Botterman & Nele Havermans & Koen Matthijs, 2015. "Involved Fathers, Liberated Mothers? Joint Physical Custody and the Subjective Well-being of Divorced Parents," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 122(1), pages 257-277, May.
    6. Maria Cancian & Daniel Meyer & Patricia Brown & Steven Cook, 2014. "Who Gets Custody Now? Dramatic Changes in Children’s Living Arrangements After Divorce," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 51(4), pages 1381-1396, August.
    7. Jacob Cheadle & Paul Amato & Valarie King, 2010. "Patterns of nonresident father contact," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 47(1), pages 205-225, February.
    8. Cynthia Fletcher & Frederick Lorenz, 1985. "Structural influences on the relationship between objective and subjective indicators of economic well-being," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 16(3), pages 333-345, April.
    9. Thomas Leopold, 2018. "Gender Differences in the Consequences of Divorce: A Study of Multiple Outcomes," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 55(3), pages 769-797, June.
    10. Sandra Hofferth & Nicole Forry & H. Peters, 2010. "Child Support, Father–Child Contact, and Preteens’ Involvement with Nonresidential Fathers: Racial/Ethnic Differences," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 31(1), pages 14-32, March.
    11. Mine Hancioglu & Bastian Hartmann, 2014. "What Makes Single Mothers Expand or Reduce Employment?," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 35(1), pages 27-39, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Lara Augustijn, 2023. "Post-separation Care Arrangements and Parents’ Life Satisfaction: Can the Quality of Co-parenting and Frequency of Interparental Conflict Explain the Relationship?," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 24(4), pages 1319-1338, April.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Carole Bonnet & Bertrand Garbinti & Anne Solaz, 2022. "Does Part-Time Mothering Help Get a Job? The Role of Shared Custody in Women’s Employment," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 38(5), pages 885-913, December.
    2. Lara Augustijn, 2023. "Post-separation Care Arrangements and Parents’ Life Satisfaction: Can the Quality of Co-parenting and Frequency of Interparental Conflict Explain the Relationship?," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 24(4), pages 1319-1338, April.
    3. Natasha V. Pilkauskas, 2012. "Instability in Three-Generation Family Households and Child Wellbeing," Working Papers 1429, Princeton University, School of Public and International Affairs, Center for Research on Child Wellbeing..
    4. Zuzana Zilincikova & Christine Schnor, 2023. "Trends in Distance Between Non-resident Parents and Minor Children Following Separation: Analysis of the Belgian Case, 1992–2018," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 39(1), pages 1-35, December.
    5. Trisha Chanda, 2023. "Economic Wellbeing and Labor Supply Patterns of Subsequently Divorcing Mothers in Wisconsin," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 44(4), pages 821-835, December.
    6. Kristin Mammen, 2020. "Children’s Gender and Investments from Nonresident Fathers," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 41(2), pages 332-349, June.
    7. Karen Benjamin Guzzo, 2014. "New Partners, More Kids," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 654(1), pages 66-86, July.
    8. Lawrence M. Berger & Lidia Panico & Anne Solaz, 2018. "Maternal Repartnering: Does Father Involvement Matter? Evidence from United Kingdom," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 34(1), pages 1-31, February.
    9. Tomás Cano & Pablo Gracia, 2022. "The Gendered Effects of Divorce on Mothers’ and Fathers’ Time with Children and Children’s Developmental Activities: A Longitudinal Study," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 38(5), pages 1277-1313, December.
    10. Bastian Hartmann, 2014. "Unterhaltsansprüche und deren Wirklichkeit: wie groß ist das Problem nicht gezahlten Kindesunterhalts?," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 660, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
    11. repec:pri:crcwel:wp12-19-ff is not listed on IDEAS
    12. Heather H. Kelley & Ashley B. LeBaron & E. Jeffrey Hill, 2021. "Family Matters: Decade Review from Journal of Family and Economic Issues," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 42(1), pages 20-33, July.
    13. Astrid Würtz Rasmussen & Leslie S. Stratton, 2016. "How distance to a non-resident parent relates to child outcomes," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 14(4), pages 829-857, December.
    14. Daniel R. Meyer & Marcia Carlson & Md Moshi Ul Alam, 2022. "Increases in shared custody after divorce in the United States," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 46(38), pages 1137-1162.
    15. Marion Leturcq & Lidia Panico, 2019. "The Long-Term Effects of Parental Separation on Childhood Multidimensional Deprivation: A Lifecourse Approach," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 144(2), pages 921-954, July.
    16. Bram Hogendoorn, 2022. "Why do Socioeconomic Differences in Women’s Living Standards Converge After Union Dissolution?," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 38(3), pages 577-622, August.
    17. Tara Koster & Teresa Castro-Martín, 2021. "Are Separated Fathers Less or More Involved in Childrearing than Partnered Fathers?," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 37(4), pages 933-957, November.
    18. Øystein Kravdal & Jonathan Wörn, 2023. "Mental and Physical Health Trajectories of Norwegian Parents and Children before and after Union Dissolution," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 49(1), pages 71-103, March.
    19. Guarin, Angela & Meyer, Daniel R., 2018. "Are low earnings of nonresidential fathers a barrier to their involvement with children?," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 304-318.
    20. Mats Lillehagen & Martin Arstad Isungset, 2020. "New Partner, New Order? Multipartnered Fertility and Birth Order Effects on Educational Achievement," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 57(5), pages 1625-1646, October.
    21. Camilla K. M. Lo & Mengtong Chen & Qiqi Chen & Ko Ling Chan & Patrick Ip, 2023. "Social, Community, and Cultural Factors Associated with Parental Stress in Fathers and Mothers," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(2), pages 1-14, January.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kap:jfamec:v:44:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1007_s10834-022-09818-3. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.