Get With the Times: Custody, Visitation, and Gender Bias in the South Carolina Family Court, or, How Men’s Custody and Visitation Roles are Changing: From Past to Future
Session Title
Other Abstracts
Faculty Mentor
Michael Lipscomb, Ph.D.
College
College of Arts and Sciences
Department
Political Science
Abstract
There is no question that mothers obtain custody over their children more often than the fathers. In fact, the bias is all over the United States, but this research examines the state of South Carolina, where fathers obtain custody around 27.8% compared to mothers gaining custody 72.2% of the time. This paper investigates how and why a bias against fathers exists and how the history of that bias has changed over time. More particularly, this paper examines the cultural norms and institutionalized ideals that inform the sexism within the South Carolina Family Court System. Within this framework, I examine the history of sexism and consider what I believe the future will entail. The methodology of this study involves a qualitative case study from South Carolina of family law cases, policies, rules, regulations, and procedures that reveal a set of historical trends reflecting sexism against fathers and how those patterns of discrimination may be changing as we move into the future.
Course Assignment
PLSC 490 – Lipscomb
Start Date
15-4-2023 12:00 PM
Get With the Times: Custody, Visitation, and Gender Bias in the South Carolina Family Court, or, How Men’s Custody and Visitation Roles are Changing: From Past to Future
There is no question that mothers obtain custody over their children more often than the fathers. In fact, the bias is all over the United States, but this research examines the state of South Carolina, where fathers obtain custody around 27.8% compared to mothers gaining custody 72.2% of the time. This paper investigates how and why a bias against fathers exists and how the history of that bias has changed over time. More particularly, this paper examines the cultural norms and institutionalized ideals that inform the sexism within the South Carolina Family Court System. Within this framework, I examine the history of sexism and consider what I believe the future will entail. The methodology of this study involves a qualitative case study from South Carolina of family law cases, policies, rules, regulations, and procedures that reveal a set of historical trends reflecting sexism against fathers and how those patterns of discrimination may be changing as we move into the future.
