GENDER BIAS IN CHILD CUSTODY DECISIONS. Fathers in most states are looked at as a monetary resource whose time is unimportant. There is no Bias against Fathers in Custody Cases. Pressure group Separated Dads states simply that: “The important fact to remember is that, in the majority of cases, the father will not be granted custody of the child by the courts. However, it is questioned whether the court system is biased against men in matters involving custody and access to children when family breakdown occurs. You might need to fight harder than the mother to be granted custody rights and a fair amount of child … Sole … Continued There are a variety of biases and myths that fathers may fear when fighting for custody of their children. While seeking legal representation from a skilled attorney is the No. Before trial, counsel should select an impartial expert who is not only known to the court as a good forensic expert but who has no bias against fathers' sharing or having primary custody of a child. I might not really know what "don't often get a look in", means. It is absolutely gender discrimination. The presumption that women are more fit for parenting, or that they require more financial support than men is simply unfair and unjust. Fight Bias Against Fathers in Courts. A bias judge is a judge who has a prejudice in favor or against one thing, person or group compared with another. But the source of the bias is not in the courts – it’s in the marriage. For instance, most individuals tend to believe that most single mothers who choose to raise their kids on their own are either unemployed or receive government assistance. Statistics demonstrate that nationwide, mothers are granted sole custody more often than fathers. This is especially the case if it is clearly in the best interests of the children to be with their father. This isn't true at all. It can be argued that, when deciding custody and visitation, a court gives the best interests of the child the highest priority and not gender (Levin ; Mills, [Online], 2003). The mother of our child has been granted legal aid and all the other support that comes with being a victim of domestic abuse, all with no evidence. It’s true that mothers are more likely to receive custody of their children in a divorce. So the claim that fathers succeed well in family courts is entirely an artifact of the methodology used by Harding and Newnham. From our experience working with families, we have realized family court can be biased towards mothers and against fathers in custody disputes. It is true that for decades, courts in the vast majority of states, including Florida, were biased against fathers when awarding primary custody. Testing by a competent psychologist or mental health professional may be important to a father's case. Yes, I did. Being a father trying to use the system, it would be very easy for me to say that the system is heavily biased against fathers. They were so certain that, in 15 of the 26 cases, local authorities basically told them they needed to have the child. In Florida, courts cannot make custody decisions based on gender (it would be against the law to do so). But research shows that fathers often get the short end of the stick. After a 10 year career as a divorce coach/consultant and doing extensive research on the subject, I've come to the conclusion that the courts are not the reason mothers retain custody in the majority of divorces. Hi there, Firstly I would like to say this presents some interesting questions and solutions to family court proceedings that many go through and I am pleased that you are open to debate on this. The father’s rights movement began in the 1960s and became more widely known and discussed as the Internet became more widespread. If the father is important enought to pay upwards of 50% of his salary, he should also be important enough to spend a reasonable amount of time with his children, not just 4-8 hours a week. The justifications are bullsh1t, I'm afraid. A judge needs to be aware and mindful that denying a parent custody based on a disability is not only not necessarily in the best interest of the child, it is discrimination. Although this issue is often disputed, most courts will not discriminate against a father during a child custody dispute. Selecting expert witnesses. 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