DNA & Genetics

Genetic science has become closely linked to intense cultural debates surrounding the issues of sex, gender, & gender identity. This ever-evolving field of study impacts nearly every segment of our society: parents, children, men, women, those who are non-binary, criminal justice, healthcare, scholarships, sports, schools & facilities, etc.

One example of the intersection of sex discrimination and genetics plays out each day in our nation’s family courts. As it stands today, U.S. states can only recoup federal funds for certain benefit programs for children after the state achieves an astonishing 96% success rate of winning child support from non-custodial parents. On its face, this may seem a reasonable system to ensure parents, rather than taxpayers, assume financial responsibility for their children in a way that is gender blind. However, 2018-2019 U.S. Census data showed significant disparity in who gets custodial parenting rights:

  • For 79.9% of children in single-parent households, the mother was the custodial parent, compared to only 20.1% of fathers.
  • Custodial fathers were most likely to be non-Hispanic White (62.9%), and far less likely to be Black (15.1%).
  • While 25.8% of all U.S. children lived in single-parent families, only 1.4% of children aged 0-2 years, & only 4.4% of all children in single-parent homes, lived with just their biological father.
  • Almost half (48.8%) of all Black children had one parent that lived outside their household. This was true for only 22.7% of White children.

The current child custody awards process is demonstrably biased against non-White parents & fathers in particular, severely limiting their parenting time to bond, engage and help raise their children. This perpetuates the outdated societal gender bias of mothers – not fathers – as primary caretakers and nurturers. This system also puts the focus of financial responsibility, rather than relationship building, on fathers, maintaining the same sexist narratives that gender both child care & child financial support obligations.

 

DNA & sex/gender discrimination can overlap in areas many of us may never see.

Did you know there is currently no federal standard that a court must verify paternity before issuing a child support order?

Despite cheap & widely-available DNA testing, courts nationwide regularly mandate significant financial obligations without ever proving an individual is the child’s biological parent.

Each year, this antiquated system disproportionately impacts low-income men of color. Without reform, it will continue to foster generational poverty within communities of color all across America.

With so many more mothers being awarded primary parenting time, and fathers instead being mandated to financial support, how can we expand women’s earning potential and broaden their workforce opportunities? How can we normalize men living as equal childcare-givers and shift gender roles to include that experience of fatherhood? How can employers begin to shift sex or gender-based expectations of our nation’s labor force?

Also notable, not a single U.S. state or territory requires DNA verification prior to awarding child support – so men are regularly assigned huge financial obligations with no presumption of innocence or proof of their paternity. All that is necessary is the presumed father’s name and last known address be listed on state intake forms and they will be aggressively pursued for child support. For a multitude of reasons, this persistently lax criteria leads to serious errors every year & in every state.

The current system has a disproportionate impact on low-income men of color & their families, perpetuating the cycle of generational poverty. 2018 U.S. Census data showed that 48.8% of all Black children lived in single-parent households, compared to just 22.7% of white children. By directly tying court-ordered financial responsibility to fatherhood (& at much higher rates for men of color), particularly without benefit of DNA verification, the current system serves to perpetuate sex-based discrimination & biased gender roles. These examples of institutionalized sexism are part of lived disparity.

Such cases of mistaken identity are both severe & pervasive, costing innocent men, their partners, their legitimate children, & society untold amounts in fees, court costs, & lost wages or opportunities. The child(ren) in question also suffer from the current system, which keeps them separated from financial & emotional security, their family history, vital medical & genetic information, & even a potential relationship with their biological family.

Sources

US Census Bureau

Institute for Family Studies

Pew Research Center