Single Fathers, Single Mothers, and Child Custody Statistics

SINGLE FATHERS, SINGLE MOTHERS, AND CHILD CUSTODY STATISTICS DETERMINING CUSTODY • In just over 51% of custody decisions, both parents agree that the mother should become the custodial parent. • In roughly 29% of custody decisions, this is made without any assistance from the court or from a mediator. • 11% are determined with the assistance of a mediator. • 5% are determined following a custody evaluation. • By comparison, only 4% of custody cases require going to trial before primary custody is decided. • Overall, 91% of custody decisions do not require the family court to decide. DETERMINING CUSTODY IN ILLINOIS In Illinois, the courts will determine custody based on what the • court feels will be in the best interest of the child. The court will factor in the child's school and community • involvement. A child's physical and mental health, as well as whether • domestic violence is an issue in the divorce, will be considered. The court will also consider the child's wishes. . The parent's wishes, and any recommendations offered by a • child's counselor. The court will also consider the child's wishes. • The parent's wishes, and any recommendations offered by • a child's counselor. The courts have considerable latitude in this decision and will • not rush to award custody until all of the information has been carefully reviewed. PARENTING TIME - MARRIED PARENTS & DIVORCED MARRIED PARENTS DIVORCED PARENTS do • Married fathers spend roughly 6.5 hours per • Conversely, divorced fathers spend far less time on these tasks. week conducting primary parenting duties such as taking children to appointments, helping with homework, cooking, reading bedtime • Roughly 22% of fathers see their children once a week. stories, etc. • A further 29% see their children less than four times per month. • Conversely, married mothers spend roughly 13 hours per week on their parental responsibilities. • Most concerning is that 27% have absolutely no contact with their children at all. NUMBER OF SINGLE FATHERS ON THE RISE • Even though the number of households headed by single fathers is still far less than single mothers, the rate is increasing. • In 1960, the number of households headed by a single father in the United States was 8%. • 55 years ago, there were only 300,000. • In 2011, that number had risen 900% to 2.6 million. • This means that roughly 25% of households are now being headed by single fathers. • For comparison, the rate of single mother households recorded in 2011 was 8.6 million. • This was a 400% increase from 1.9 million in 1960. SINGLE PARENTS & COHABITATION Single fathers are more likely to live with a cohabitating partner. • On average, 41% of single fathers have a significant other • within the home as opposed to just 16% for single mothers. This means that in many cases, the father's partner often • shares in many of the parenting responsibilities. SINGLE PARENTS' EDUCATION & INCOME • 33% of single fathers have a high school diploma or less • 17% of single fathers have a bachelor's degree or higher • 26% of single mothers have a high school diploma 40% of single mothers have some college 18% of single mothers have a college degree or higher 27% of single fathers are between the ages of 15 & 29 • 29% of single fathers are African American 28% of single mothers are African American 36% of single fathers live at or below the poverty line 43% of single mothers live at or below the poverty line IMPACT These statistics show a clear impact on the median household . income of both single fathers and single mothers. They also show what many custody lawyers are very familiar • with -- that many single mothers have paused their educational careers in order to raise their families. This has a significant impact on their ability to provide and care • for their children should they get divorced. MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME In 2011, the Pew Research Center For single mothers, that number was just Moreover, the study showed that two-parent households had a median-adjusted household indicated that the median household income for single fathers was $40,000. $26,000. income of $70.000. CHILD SUPPORT & CUSTODY • Nationally, 2013 data from the US Census Bureau indicates there are 14.4 million custodial parents in the United States. • Of these, 48.6% have agreed to either a legal or informal child support agreement. 88% of these agreements were established via the court or other government entity. • Only 11% were established between the divorcing parents. 37.9 billion dollars of child support was owed to custodial • parents in 2011 (US Census Bureau). The average amount owed was $6,050. • Of this amount, only 62.3%, or $3,770 was received per . year, per child. This means that custodial parents were receiving on average • $311 per month, per child. Similar studies showed that in 2012, 53.4% of custodial • mothers were awarded child support, and 28.8% of custodial fathers were awarded child support. FErlich LAW OFFICE, LLC Office location: One Lincoln Centre 18W140 Butterfield Road, Suite 1500 Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181 Phone Number: Website: (630) 538-5331 http://erlichlegal.com/ Infographic by Market JD www.marketjd.com %24 :: .......... ..........