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Wednesday, March 16, 2016

More Time for Dads? States Weigh Changes to Custody Laws

It’s been about 40 years since the majority of moms stayed home, and married dads in the 21st century spend twice as much time caring for their children as they did back then.

Yet when parents divorce or separate, custody arrangements are more likely to reflect life as it was in 1975, with the mother as the primary caretaker and the father working to help support a child he seldom sees.

As fathers become more vocal about what they see as inequities in custody cases — and as more research shows how important it is for fathers to be present in their children’s lives — states are considering changing their custody laws.

Five states — Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts and Missouri — are looking at proposals that would require judges to presume that it’s best for children to split their time as evenly as possible between their two parents. Utah enacted a similar law last year.

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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's about time.

Anonymous said...

In case of divorce, Men always get the short end of the deal even if the mother is the one who is divorcing the husband. No wonder so many men are opting out of marriage or even having a family!