Why Do Most Children Live With Their Mother Post-Divorce?
When divorcing couples have children, divorce courts must decide which parents have primary custody of those children following the divorce. Child custody can be a very contentious matter along with divorce assistance to help pay for raising the children. According to a recent Newsweek magazine report, most children live with their mothers following a divorce. For many good reasons, the mother often winds up with custody granting visitation rights to the father. Let’s take a look at why this is.
Fathers Often Are Primary Earners
The Pew Research Center says that men are the sole or primary earners in about two-thirds of all marriages. The amount of time spent working and on career goals often makes it more difficult for working dads to provide their children with full-time supervision.
When the dads are the primary earners, most understand the need for the mother to have primary custody, but still want visitation rights. So, divorce courts will determine an amount for divorce assistance that enables the mother to provide the children with a stable home and spend more time caring for and supervising them than the father could.
Maternity and Child-Rearing Affect Mothers’ Ability to Work
It only partially is a pun to say that maternity and child-rearing are very labor-intensive. Expectant mothers often are unavailable for several months after birthing a child and throughout its infancy. The more children a marriage produces, the more labor-intensive the home life often becomes for the mothers.
Raising several young children requires a lot of time and effort on a daily basis. When mothers are busy raising and feeding children while also maintaining a suitable home, there is relatively little time to earn money. A divorce court recognizes the special challenges of child-rearing and often will grant primary custody to the mother.
Divorce Courts Determine Divorce Assistance
Once child custody, visitation rights, and schedules are in place, a divorce court will determine divorce assistance amounts. The primary earner often provides the parent who gains custody with a monthly stipend to help feed and support the children and their home. The court usually determines the standard of living costs and how much the mother might be able to contribute to maintaining it. Whatever is left might become the father’s responsibility until the children become adults or the divorce order is modified.
As you can see, there are many reasons why most children live with their mother post-divorce. If you’re in need of divorce assistance or mediation, give us a call today at C.E.L. & Associates Inc. We’re here to provide you with the help you need.