With mothers retaining custody of children in approximately 70 percent of divorces, it’s no wonder that there is a widely perceived notion that men walk out on their families far more often than women do. But when women do abandon their families, they take with them a tarnished reputation and the perception that they are horrible people just because of the maternal role they were destined to fulfill and failed at. Mothers who leave their children behind have to live with this guilt every day. Here are their stories.
1Who gets the kids?
Once upon a time, the courts automatically deferred custody to mothers following a divorce. Now judges weigh the best interests of the child in question. There’s joint custody, physical custody and sole custody. While fathers give up custody every day, increasingly, so are mothers. The only difference? Moms are judged way more harshly for it. Continues on the next pages…
