As Yale law professor Anne Alstott argues, justifying parental support depends on defining the family as a social good that, in some sense, society must pay for.

The U.S. trails far behind every wealthy nation and many developing ones that have family-friendly work policies including paid parental leave, paid sick days and breast-feeding support.

Lack of time and money are more common in single parent families, as are lack of social support and family conflict, including separation, divorce and parental absence.