Many Illinois men are understandably upset about the notion that fathers are less connected to their children than mothers. Still, there are not many programs in place to assist single fathers. There is also little public support for father’s having equal access to their children in the family law court system.
It can sometimes seem like the court system is more prone to pronouncing the mother as the more competent parent. This may come about in part because men are stereotyped as being the wage earner who is often not present at the home.
Approximately half of all American families are affected by divorce. Yet less than half of the children of divorced parents have equal access to their fathers. This is unfair to the father and his children.
The issue of father’s rights has received more notice in recent years, however. Fathers are now challenging more rulings by the court. We are now seeing more legal options for these fathers as well when it comes to adoption rulings, visitation issues and especially child custody determinations. We are even seeing in Illinois fathers assert their legal rights pertaining to adoption and visitation rights when the parents of the child are not married.
Every child custody determination should revolve around what is in the best interest of the child. Experienced family law attorneys can represent clients in court to demonstrate what the best interest of the child would be. This best interest would include stopping the practice of preventing parents from visiting their own children.
Source: Huffington Post, “When It Comes to Custody, It’s a Woman’s World,” Rabbi Abraham Unger, Ph.D., Dec. 10, 2013
