ops significantly. In many such cases women harbor negative feelings toward their ex-spouse (Chiriboga, Catron, and Associates, 1991). Unfortunately many release these feelings to their children, making an already difficult adjustment even more difficult for them.
             The main hurdle with divorce is the custody of the children. The mother is traditionally thought to be the primary caregiver and up until 1973 the mother assumed custody. In 1973 the courts changed creeds from "the very nature and instinct of motherhood" to "best interest of the child" (Mason, 1988). Many courts still rule in favor of the mother as only a few fathers request custody, motherhood is assumed to be dominate over fatherhood. Only a few fathers request full custody, 1 in 8 to be exact and 63% of the time it is given to them, some of the time without the full consent of the mother (Mason, 1988). Joint custody is frowned upon and many judges had tried to forbid it. Unfortunately it is not uncommon for parents to fight for custody get back at each other and not for the best interest of the child.
             The mother has taken care of the child and is generally more familiar with the child then the father is. The father on the other hand is providing for the family and is furthering his own career. The courts see this and deem the mother custody. This has many drawbacks. Children need both parental influences; divorce puts parental roles in awkward positions. As the norm is that the mother has sole custody the father has the role of occasional visits and financial support.
             Many divorced mothers have to raise their children alone, whether they would like to or not. It has been shown that children raised solely by their mother and without a fatherly influence have a higher risk of abusing drugs, namely marijuana and alcohol, also these children are at a higher rate of suicide (Raporport, Strelitz, Kew, 1987). Almost all mothers who have sole cust...