The New Battleground of Child Custody Reform: Shared Parenting
Child custody and support laws have become more onerous over the last 50 years due to fewer parents staying together and women becoming equally as capable as men at earning a living outside the home. Instead of reflecting these changes, the laws have lagged behind, continuing to favor mothers over fathers. The laws generally award primary custody to the parent who spent more time at home with the children and less time working, even if the difference was miniscule. The other parent is then ordered to pay a crushing amount of child support, sometimes on top of alimony. In a small percentage of situations, usually where the father was the primary caregiver, this situation is reversed and the laws punish the mother.
This is so very correct. I am the mother who worked and my ex-husband sat on his lazy bottom during our marriage. I worked and still had to pay a sitter even though he didn't work. He waited for me to go into the police academy and filed for divorce and custody, it was immediately given to him since i was away and he was home with the kids. he was able to keep it out of court and force his hand that i "abandoned my children". Really, something has to be done. Oh, and now that I've left the PD and no longer make the wages I was making, the state of Louisiana still refuses to reduce the amount of childsupport due, even though its over 50% of my wages and he now makes over $50,000/year and wasn't working when it was set. IS THERE ANY JUSTICE OR COMMON SENSE LEFT? All this does is hurt my children and make it impossible for me to be able to do anything for them fun. Any direction on how to get this changed would be appreciated!
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