Do Chicago Courts Grant Chicago Fathers Less Time with Their Kids? A 2018 Study Reveals Illinois in Bottom Five States for Child Custody of Fathers

A 2018 study sheds some light on the numbers when it comes to child custody between mothers and fathers after divorce in Illinois, and the statistics may surprise some Chicago parents and couples. According to a 2018 study by Custody X Exchange, a company in Utah that sells software that helps divorced parents with planning and dividing child custody and parenting plans, and reported on by the State Journal-Register, Illinois ranks in 47th place in the list of states in which children spend the most amount of time with their father after a divorce or child custody arrangement has been made. Indeed, the study found that children in the state of Illinois spend an average of only 23.1% of their time with their father after child custody has legally been decided each year. The other states that ranked even lower than Illinois were Mississippi (48th place, with fathers receiving 23% of their child’s time), Oklahoma (49th place, with 22.4%), and Tennessee (50th place, with 21.8%). In contrast, the top states where fathers get the most time with their children under child custody orders include Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Kentucky, and Maine, among other states. In these states, fathers get at least 50% of child custody time with their child or children.

Chicago Dads Complain, States Seek to Address Imbalance in Child Custody Time Between Parents

Of the study’s findings, Aimee Miller-Ott, an associate professor of communications at Illinois State University who focuses in interpersonal and family communications said, “It doesn’t surprise me, at all, that dads got less time (in Illinois) …The dads who I interviewed in my research, often that was their biggest complaints”. She also added, “I think that it’s getting better over time, but traditionally, moms are seen as more parental, and that’s not necessarily true”. To correct this imbalance, some states have pushed for more equal parenting time in child custody cases. According to the report, in 2017, 25 state legislatures took on legislation that would make shared parenting the “default” law.

Legal Help for Chicago Parents Facing Child Custody Issues

Ultimately, which parent will get how much time with their children in a Chicago child custody case will depend on a number of factors set forth under Illinois child custody laws. The best thing that a Chicago parent can do to protect their child custody rights is to speak with an experienced Chicago child custody lawyer as soon as possible about their case. The experienced Chicago child custody lawyers at the law firm of Arnoux Sharma & Standeford, LLC are here to help Chicago parents with their child custody matters. They fight for their client’s rights under Illinois child custody and marriage and divorce laws. Do not hesitate to speak to an experienced Chicago child custody lawyer about your case today. Contact Arnoux Sharma & Standeford, LLC and speak with an experienced Chicago attorney now.

Source:

sj-r.com/story/news/state/2018/06/13/study-illinois-divorced-dads-have/11980072007/