Unmarried Child Custody Rights for Mums and Dads

By: Paul Hockney
Submitted: 2009-03-17 17:38:41
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During the 1990s nearly one in every three births were to an unwed mother, this nearly rivals divorce as a pathway to children entering into a single parenthood family.  Decisions concerning marriage, living together, dissolving the union, additional childbearing and whether to retain or relinquish custody of the children create unintentional shifts in the lives of these children.

There is escalating proof that changes in childhood living arrangements could be linked to the unfolding adult life course and to the changes in life of the children.  The socialization perspective on the effects of a family structure gives emphasis to the significance of having both parents rather than just one parent for satisfactory supervision, control of the children and support both emotionally and financially.

A study done in early 2005 called the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study explored, among other things, whether or not enhancing parents' relationship skills to see if they had any effect on the parent-child relationship.  This was done both with married couples and with non-married cohabitating parenting couples. Part of the study found that role overload is more likely to be experienced by a single parent who has less time and energy for supervising children than a two parent family, whether they are married simply cohabitating.

Most unwed parents believed they will be married by the time the child reaches the age of three however there are many variables that prevent these marriages from happening their four children are raised in families that may or may not have two parents presence however if the union between two parents dissolves and there is a traditional custody battle.  In most cases, nearly 85 percent of the time mothers are given custody to the child especially if they have been the primary caregiver and in some cases the mother retains primary physical custody of the child because she has not given the father's name on the birth certificate.  This could cause a parental interference and psychological damage to the father who he has been left out of the child's birthright.

Custody battles between unmarried couples should be similar to those of married couples however in most cases the mother is more of a caregiver being a single parent especially if the father is not around or has not been around in the courts would award custody to the primary caregiver which in this case would be the mother.

Fathers are winning some ground in custody front especially with groups such as “Mad Dads” and other father alliance groups which take up the cause for fathers who want custody of the children.  In some cases, it's not a matter of wanting custody it's a matter of financial stability and a commitment to spending more than just quality time with the child or children.  A family court system does not appreciate either parent excessively using nannies or day care services however they are realistic in the fact that they know a parent needs to work in order to put food on the table.

Article source: Expert Articles