LEGISLATION TO SECURE FINANCIAL SUPPORT OF AGED PARENTS BY THEIR ADULT CHILDREN

In recent years, many Western countries have tightened the legislative provisions which require parents to provide for the financial support of their children. For example, new child support payment schemes have come into force in the various states of the United States, in the United Kingdom, in New Zealand and in Australia. In all of these countries, there was existing legislation providing for the support of children by their parents, but the legislation or orders arising from it were often ignored. With the rapid rise in marital breakdown and in the incidence of children being born outside of marriage, the scale of the problem became greater and hence more noticeable. Two main reasons were espoused for reform of existing legislation: it was believed that respect for the legal system in general was lessened when the law was held in contempt by so many people and, in addition, pressure was placed on the public purse for the support of the children affected.