Fairness in Child Support Assessments: The Views of Non-resident Fathers in Norway

This article investigates the attitudes of non-resident fatherstowards principles for child support payments in Norway. Twoquestions are asked: first, how well do the attitudes of thefathers correspond to those promoted by the political elite?and second, what characteristics of the fathers’ situationinfluence their attitudes? Data are found in a quantitativesurvey carried out in 2001–02. The analysis show thatfathers overwhelmingly support the principle that levels ofcontact should influence the level of child support, and thatneither parent must gain financially from the settlement. Thisis in tune with the intentions of the 2001 Norwegian child supportreform. The factors that most strongly influence attitudes arethe relationship with the mother (friendly or not), and, insome aspects, the time since the break-up. There is a slighttendency towards fathers embracing the arguments that can beused in their specific situation, but this appears to be mediatedby other factors.