Sexual Discrimination in Child Custody Matters
 

Despite the age of "political correctness", sexual discrimination is alive and well in the family courts. Although no written laws allow preferential treatment of mothers in custody hearings, moms are still being favored over Dads.

The feminists at N.O.W. claim that this is untrue:

"Forced joint custody is also a top legislative priority of fringe fathers' rights groups nationwide. These groups argue that courts are biased and sole custody awards to mothers deny fathers their right to parent. They allege that, in most cases, mothers are awarded sole custody, with fathers granted visitation rights. The men cite this as proof of bias against fathers.The truth is that in 90 percent of custody decisions it is mutually agreed that the mother would be sole custodian. According to several studies, when there is a custody dispute, fathers win custody in the majority of disputed cases."

--quoted from N.O.W. webpage

"WHEREAS many judges and attorneys are still biased against women and fathers are awarded custody 70% of the time when they seek it per the Association of Child Enforcement Support (ACES);"

--quoted from N.O.W. webpage

These statistics are misleading (in addition to being inaccurate).  Most Dads are advised against seeking custody from the start.  Dads are told that they don't have a snowball's chance in hell of getting custody, and would only be wasting legal fees.   Also, some corrupt courts force the Dads to pay the legal fees of the mother as well as their own, which further cajoles the Dad to "shut up and take" whatever one-sided "settlement" is being offered by the mother and/or the court.  It makes no sense to fight a battle that you know you will lose.

Dads who lose physical custody often also lose legal custody.  This means that the Dad has no input on decisions in the child's life, such as schooling, religion, medical, etc.

Most Dads are left with only a hefty child support fine and a visitation schedule.  The typical arrangement is for the Dad to see the child on alternate weekends.  However, if the mom decides to withhold visitation and conceal the child, there is little the Dad can do about it.  (In some states, such as Illinois, there are laws which punish unlawful visitation interference.   Getting them enforced is usually an exercise in futility, however.)

The Change

Dads need to write to their elected officials, and ask them for a law ordering presumptive joint custody.  This law would state that, in disputed custody cases, joint 50/50 custody would be automatic.  In this situation, everyone would be the winner, especially the child who would now get equal time and attention from both parents.  In addition, no one would need to be concerned about child support money changing hands, because each parent pays for the child when the child is with them.

 

 

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