Author: Joseph E. Cordell

Gender stereotypes face men in the family law courts on a regular basis.

Recently, Mens’ Divorce took a look at this issue and reported on some of the numbers regarding the number of married women receiving primary custody of children as well as sizable child support packages.

“It should not come as a shock that men face antiquated gender stereotypes when going through a divorce, and that fighting these can lead to lengthy, expensive legal battles that still result in unfair settlements once a judgment is finalized,” reported Men’s Divorce. 

With stereotypes still affecting the way society and the courts often view men and dads, there is an ongoing notion that “men [lack] the capability to perform basic household or parenting tasks.”

Men’s Divorce reported on a recent Huffington Post article, “Retire the Bumbling Husband: He Isn’t Helping,” which discussed the negative affects such characters and stereotypes can have on society’s perceptions, beliefs on parenting and even custody decisions.

As the article’s author Jaime Zucker points out,  “Advertisements for housekeeping products can still be targeted to attract female consumers, but the justification that these products should be selected by the woman because her male partner is just too stupid to do so needs to be retired. It’s time advertisers pay attention – equality is empowering.”