Each week at DadsDivorce, we post news and articles on a plethora of topics relevant to divorced fathers.
Our sponsor, Cordell & Cordell, has advocated for fathers’ rights since its inception in 1990. Ensuring that dads have a voice is central to our mission. The firm’s fathers’ rights attorneys are dedicated to advocating for dads and helping to make sure they still play a central role in their children’s lives after divorce.
The fact is, fathers count on their dads more than ever after divorce.
We believe fathers are essential to healthy families. With that in mind, it’s important to take a step back and consider why dads are so important and why it is necessary to support fathers’ rights.
Children need their father
Of course, the biggest reason to support fathers’ rights is the most obvious. Dads play a distinct, irreplaceable role in raising their kids.
Data shows that children from fatherless homes are more likely to be poor, abuse drugs or alcohol, and suffer health and emotional problems.
Dads find unique ways to bond with their children and that fatherly influence drastically improves their physical and mental well-being.
Modern fathers, in particular, are taking on a much more active role when it comes to parenting with more dads than ever considering fatherhood to be their “most important job.”
Dads are more than just breadwinners
A half century ago, fathers’ biggest contribution to the household was their paycheck. They worked all day while mom stayed home to take care of the household duties and child
Times sure have changed. It is increasingly common for men to be stay-at-home dads as women have staked out a bigger presence in the workplace. Fathers are also splitting more of the household work with mothers.
Most importantly, dads are more emotionally engaged when interacting with their children than ever before. This is significant because research shows that emotionally-involved fathers typically have happier kids.
Anti-dad bias in family law
Another compelling reason to support fathers’ rights is that, in many respects, the deck is still stacked against dads in issues pertaining to family law. Although much progress has been made as the shared parenting movement continues to gain momentum, there are still far too many stereotypes that lead to unfair rulings against fathers.
Consider the fact that only 17.8% of fathers are custodial parents and that 66% of all child support not paid by non-custodial fathers is due to an inability to pay. It is painfully obvious that there is an imbalance in the system that needs corrected.
Things are even worse for unwed fathers as it is shockingly easy for a mother to eliminate the dad from the picture by committing paternity fraud, which often has very few repercussions for the guilty party.
Cordell & Cordell understands the concerns men face during divorce.
In concert with Child custody reform, states such as Massachusetts are in dire need of child support reform. Child support has become nothing more than tax-free alimony regardless of circumstances. There are no guidelines for how support is used or accounted for. Although the age of emancipation in nearly all states is 18, Massachusetts continues to define the age of emancipation as 23.
I lost my time with my now teenage children to a truly disrespectful, unfaithful ex-wife, who was immediately given primary physical custody, continues to work part time, while stuffing her IRA, taking luxury vacations each year, drives a new Audi – all on the dime of the children’s support.
Where is the accountability? Where is the justice?
I do realize that custody reform will moderate some of this for newly divorcing dads (thank God), but will that help those of us unfairly discriminated against in the past?