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Child Support: Social Welfare, Gender Equality and Population Metrics

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  • Michael Rosenthal
Michael Rosenthal
West Chester University
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3197/whpjps.63887831800456

Published 2026-05-12

Keywords

  • child support,
  • gender equality,
  • abortion,
  • population,
  • social welfare

How to Cite

Rosenthal, Michael. 2026. “Child Support: Social Welfare, Gender Equality and Population Metrics”. The Journal of Population and Sustainability, May, 1-38. https://doi.org/10.3197/whpjps.63887831800456.

Copyright (c) 2026 Michael Rosenthal

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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Abstract

Child support laws are found among most contemporary societies, yet correlational research on the demographic effects of child support remains sparse. This study compared the child support systems of 91 nations against 21 social, economic, health and environmental variables using a novel dataset and nonparametric statistical tests. Mann-Whitney and median tests revealed that robust national child support systems – equipped with a high number of enforcement mechanisms, a designated administrative agency and/or a public child support assurance program – were associated with a host of trends including lower unintended pregnancy and abortion rates, lower infant and maternal mortality rates, lower birth rates, a more educated female population and a higher ratio of women in parliament. The analysis concludes that child support is closely linked to national population metrics signifying better social welfare, gender equality and slower population growth.

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