Fathers’ Rights
Do they still exist?
A vast majority of divorced fathers and fathers whom never married, want to remain actively involved with their children after the split.
Even if they no longer have a good relationship with their children’s mother, they still want to be a parent to their children and be able to spend time with them.
Unfortunately, many fathers don’t understand their rights where children are concerned, and their rights are sometimes even overlooked by the courts.
Although there isn’t supposed to be any gender bias that favors mothers over fathers in custody and child support matters, this is not always the case.
The rights of a father, not only during a custody dispute, but also during the child’s upbringing, are fairly simple and probably what you’d imagine they should be.
They include:
Being able to spend time with his children
Being involved in his children’s lives
Having equal participation in parenting, including where they live and go to school
Having equal access to school and medical records
Having equal say in medical decisions
Being able to parent children without interference from other parent
The Research
Studies Show That Shared Parenting is Better for Children
The National Parents Organization and leading parenting researchers explain why.
By The Numbers
The Facts
70%
of Americans support shared parenting according to Pew Research
74%
of adults in 8 states support shared parenting in independent polling
80%
of custody cases award sole custody to one parent
Americans are strong supporters of shared parenting. A national poll by Pew Research found 70% support. Independent polling in 8 states has shown 74% of adults support shared parenting. Americans strongly support not only the idea of separated parents sharing in raising their children, they strongly support them sharing those child-rearing responsibilities equally and there being a legal presumption in favor of this arrangement. And this support cuts across the divisions of American politics. Support for equal shared parenting and a legal presumption of equal shared parenting is extraordinarily strong regardless of race, age, political leanings, and (importantly) gender. These results are consistent with international polls which show an average of 75% support for shared parenting. In every state, judges have the discretion to order shared parenting if they choose to. Unfortunately, they do this infrequently, as shown by the data of the U.S. Census Bureau, which indicates that sole custody is awarded to one parent in about 80% of cases.