Women always get the kids in a divorce. Right? It’s no secret that moms are often given custody of their children. The issue is that men aren’t showing the court that they’re able to care for their kids properly.
From the outside, it seems as if women are given an unfair advantage in the family court system.
But, a report from Pew Research Center sheds a different light on the topic – something most people never expected to read.
Father’s Spend More Time Sleeping One Day Per Week Than With Their Kids
A shocking fact is that fathers spend more time sleeping one day per week than they do with their kids for the entire week.
Fathers in 1985 spent 3 hours per week caring for their children.
This figure rose to 6.5 hours by 2000, while moms spent 12.9 hours caring for their kids per week. Dads are closing the gap when caring for their children, but they’re still far from providing the same level of care as mom.
This statistic is true even for working moms.
27% of Dads Don’t Have Contact With Their Kids After Divorce
Custody issues often leave the father with visitation rights, but a lot of fathers don’t cherish time with their kids. It’s up to the father to go through with visitation schedules, or he may lose the right to see his children.
But, a lot of fathers don’t want to remain in their children’s lives.
- 29% see their children 1 – 4 times per month
- 27% never see their children
Statistically, men are not involved in their children’s lives nearly as much as mom after a divorce, even when allowed visitation.
A man needs to protect his rights after a divorce by spending time with the kids. Moms are still maintaining more than double the time spent caring for their children, and if a father wants custody, he needs to demonstrate – maybe to an even higher degree than a woman – his commitment to caring for his child.
An even more startling fact is 51% of parents agree, outside of court, that the mother should be the custodial parent.
Men have the right to be the custodial parent, but if mom is the primary caregiver or takes care of the children for the majority of the time, there is a higher probability that she will become the custodial parent.
The Micklin Law Group, LLC is a New Jersey law firm focusing on family law. Attorney Brad Micklin was recently named to The National Advocates list of Top 100 attorneys from each state. Brad has experience working with divorces in New Jersey. You can read more on this topic by visiting our divorce blog. To set up a consultation, call 973-562-0100.
