Non-payment of child support is often categorized as an individual act of deviance or moral failing, reinforcing resistance and disengagement on the part of fathers by causing them to see themselves as victims whose personal rights are under threat.

Deena Mandell is a professor in the Faculty of Social Work at Wilfrid Laurier University.

'Excellent, well researched, well written, and competently argued ... the conclusions and recommendations that flow from it are extremely important for policy makers and front-line social workers ... Mandell's work, informed by a feminist support for womens' autonomy, provides a clear direction for the promotion of policies that foster women's independence rather than their dependence.'