World of Labor Evidence-based Policy Making Author's Main Message Do Joint Custody Laws Improve Family Well-being? Key Findings Elevator Pitch

Joint custody reforms increase the bargaining power of men within marriage and alter the allocation of resources within the household. The empirical evidence suggests that these shifts reinforce the traditional division of household labor, with both positive and negative effects. On the positive side, marriage and fertility rates rise, and male suicides and domestic violence decline. On the negative side, female labor supply drops, and average education and labor market outcomes for children worsen. Policymakers should acknowledge that regulating families’ post-divorce life may affect intact families and try to minimize any unintended negative consequences. Do joint custody laws improve family well-being? Joint child custody laws affect not only divorced families but intact families as well