ABSTRACT
The quantitative study has provided information on the factors that affect maintenance payments, including information on the financial capacity of these respondents to meet their maintenance obligation. Obviously if fathers have limited financial means, they will be unable to pay maintenance, or much maintenance, but it has been argued that capacity to pay is closely related to willingness to pay (Burgoyne and Millar, 1994). For example, if maintenance payments can be given without incurring a high financial cost, this might increase willingness to pay; the converse also applies. However, what is not known is how other factors, less involved with financial capacity, are implicated in reaching a decision to pay. As Finch and Mason (1990) point out, there are no clear 'guidelines' to assist in the handling of post-divorce (and post-cohabiting and never lived together) relationships. This is particularly pertinent in cross-household financial transfers involving child maintenance payments. Yet competing views on the behaviour of nonresident fathers abound.
