Will Shared Parenting Come Enforcing LGBTQ+ Equality

Kenya N. Rahmaan

For decades, the United States has staunchly supported patriarchy and nuclear family structures. Of course, there is nothing wrong with either assembly; however, when examining the language and timing of the return of the strong father sponsored by Uncle Sam, the rebrand is a smidge different. In an article by Dale M. Kushner published on Psychology.com (2024), she describes changes in societal attitudes toward marriage, women’s financial independence, single parenthood, and masculinity, indicating a new era of envisioning fatherhood.

Although single motherhood and matriarchy are two problems that are blamed by many for America’s societal ills since the War on Poverty, alleged welfare dependency is a simultaneous botheration. Although the government used abandonment by fathers as justification for amending the 1935 Social Security Act to include Title IV-D, allowing child support enforcement and welfare recovery in 1996, legislators failed to guarantee fathers could raise their children even when living separately. As a result of the amendment, single motherhood grew, fatherlessness became a common boogyman, and fathers’ rights seemed to dwindle with the passing of each year. The child support landscape began to shift a few years ago as the Title IV-D or welfare caseload decreased drastically.

The Congressional Research Service, or CRS, is a public policy research institute that has been operating within the Library of Congress since 1914 (Wikipedia). Those who believe that the government incentivizes single mothers to kick their husbands to the curb to receive welfare might find themselves gobsmacked when finding out recipients have dropped over 4 million since the reformation in 1996. After peaking at 5.1 million families receiving AFDC in 1994, the number dropped to 4.4 million in August 1996 and finally reported at about 1 million in 2023. Although two-parent married families can qualify for welfare benefits, unmarried parents typically do not meet the criteria to receive public assistance.

Single parenthood is traditionally attributed to mothers since the court system automatically grants them full custody

leaving fathers to wage war in family court. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in spring 1998, custodial mothers represented 85.1 percent of all custodial parents, while the remaining 14.9 percent were fathers. Although the percentages are disproportionate, the nuclear family structure was much more common 25 years ago, and society expected fathers to work and provide more than mothers. The factors have dramatically changed when locating the exact information for subsequent years. https://youtube.com/live/Bn7lL15oOZE

For example, the 1997 report did not include distinctive influences such as parents’ marital status, racial makeup, or whether the child lived with two mothers or two fathers. More indicators separate past from present family structures and what the government deems acceptable. Fathers will move up to their rightful place as equal parents, but not without strings attached. Kushner makes sure to praise fathers, noting their diverse backgrounds and involvement with their children often means:

• better mental health,
• fewer behavioral problems,
• longer attention spans,
• greater sociability enjoyment,
• and a lower likelihood of committing juvenile crimes.

Fathers’ rights and shared parenting advocates already know these facts. Still, the curious part is why there has been a push for awareness of the pros of father involvement over twenty years after the government implemented the Deadbeat Parents Punishment Act 1998. The Act is a federal law that criminalizes the nonpayment of child support (Department of Justice). Could the push to reintroduce fathers be a precursor to preparing the public for same-sex fathers raising children and paying child support once they divorce? The idea is not as farfetched as it seems.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015, making same-sex marriage legal in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. The highest court in the land recognized that marriage is part of a spectrum of personal choices concerning family relationships, procreation, and childrearing protected by the Constitution and that same-sex couples, like different-sex couples, have the right to marry, establish a home, and bring up children. (Office of Child Support Services, 2022). Legalized same-sex marriage translates to equal parenthood rights in the event of divorce. The outlook on family structures has undergone an expansion.

Kushner reported that research from the Anne E. Casey Foundation, 14.3 children live in mother-only homes, 3.5 million in father-only homes, and between 2 and 3.7 million under 18 have an LGBTQ+ parent. These statistics are far-reaching from the original parameters used to measure what qualified as a safe and worthy home to raise a family less than a century ago.

The uptick in positive reviews on the benefits of fathers being active in their children’s lives is to boost child support collects. On the other hand, the recognition of fathers raising their children, even from a separate residence, may finally have reached the right ear in Washington, D.C., forcing lawmakers to construct a bill guaranteeing fathers a right to their children. Last but not least, fathers’ rights could be another ploy reaction to same-sex couples, both married and single, who separate and need equal access to their children. By allowing each 50/50 shared parenting with zero child support, same-sex parents will have more equal rights to their children than single and divorced parents.

Child support for custodial mothers and fathers (P60-212). (1997). U.S. Census Bureau. https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/2000/demo/p60-212.pdf

Congressional Research Service. (2025). The temporary assistance for needy families (TANF) block grant: A legislative history (R44668). https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R44668

Department of Justice. (2023, August 11). Child support enforcement. Department of Justice | United States Department of Justice. https://www.justice.gov/criminal/criminal-ceos/child-support-enforcement

Kushner, D. M. (2024, June 26). The changing faces of fatherhood in the 21st century. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/transcending-the-past/202406/the-changing-faces-of-fatherhood-in-the-21st-century

Office of Child Support Services. (2022, March 22). Same-sex parents and child support program requirements. https://www.acf.hhs.gov/css/policy-guidance/same-sex-parents-and-child-support-program-requirements