Abstract

This article investigates the attitudes of non-resident fathers towards principles for child support payments in Norway. Two questions are asked: first, how well do the attitudes of the fathers correspond to those promoted by the political elite? and second, what characteristics of the fathers’ situation influence their attitudes? Data are found in a quantitative survey carried out in 2001–02. The analysis show that fathers overwhelmingly support the principle that levels of contact should influence the level of child support, and that neither parent must gain financially from the settlement. This is in tune with the intentions of the 2001 Norwegian child support reform. The factors that most strongly influence attitudes are the relationship with the mother (friendly or not), and, in some aspects, the time since the break-up. There is a slight tendency towards fathers embracing the arguments that can be used in their specific situation, but this appears to be mediated by other factors.

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