| The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of child care expenses and financial and social supports on the economic well-being of single mother families. Economic well-being is measured by three indicators: family income, per capita income, and the amount of public assistance received. This study also examines child care expense and financial and social support variables by family contextual factors (i.e., mother's age, marital status, educational level, employment status, and the presence of children aged 0-5) for single mother families.; The 1999 National Survey of America's Families (NSAF) is used to analyze the economic well-being of single mother families. In this study, 4,676 single mother families with children aged twelve and under are included for the analytical sample.; About half of all single mother families with children under age 12 had some amount of child care expenses in 1999. Monthly child care expenses for those who had child care expenses was an average of {dollar} 255 and it accounted for about 15 percent of their family earnings. Multiple regression analyses show that child care expenses are significantly related to economic well-being after controlling for family contextual factors. Higher child care expenses and a lower percentage of earnings spent on child care are related to better economic well-being.; The analyses also show that financial and social supports (i.e., general financial support from kin or friends, financial support for child care expenses, free child care by relatives, and child support payments from non-custodial fathers) have a positive effect on the economic well-being of single mother families. This study contributes to the literature related to family economic issues by emphasizing the role of child care expenses as well as financial and social supports in the lives of single mothers and their children. |
