With one out of every two American marriages ending in divorce, custody of children has become an issue in the American society. Up until the late 1970s, it had been common practice in the United States to automatically 31 custody to the mother when a divorce occurred.
However, since the 1970s, this practice has been 32 . Most custody battles today are decided, in theory, on the basis of who is the more fit parent for the child. The reality, nevertheless, is that most women still win custody of their children in a 33 .
This legal change was the result of the social changes that 34 in the United States during the 1960s and 1970s. These changes challenged many of the 35 roles men and women were expected to play. As a 36 , it is not uncommon nowadays to find women working outside their homes and being very 37 about their careers and personal lives. It is also not 38 to see men accepting roles that were once considered the exclusive domain of women, such as shopping for groceries, driving their children to and from school, or cleaning their homes.
Because of the 39 in the divorce rate, the change in the roles that men and women are expected to play, and the changing attitude of the judicial system toward child custody, more men have started to 40 for and win custody of their children when divorce occurs.
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