One of the gender statistics that makes fair-minded people angriest is how women own just 13.6 percent of the seats on Fortune 500 boards of directors, though females are almost 50 percent of the workforce.
The numbers, courtesy of the pro-women’s Catalyst organization, show that something is way out of whack.
That said, there is another gender statistic that also is way out of line, yet it’s a lot less likely to draw any attention: Among custodial parents in 2002, 84.4 percent were women and 15.6 percent were men.
As the U.S. Census Bureau issued this statistic this month, it pointed out that the ratio has not changed since a survey in 1994. And this is despite some indications of at least limited enlightenment on the subject in some states.
Not all parents want custody, of course. Some just walk away. Others never get the chance, because the battle can be expensive. But why, figuring that every child starts out biologically with a father and a mother, would this number be so lopsided? Do family-court judges see one gender as naturally anointed for parenthood? The old boys of the previous generation might have argued that one gender was naturally anointed for corporate leadership. We know that’s absurd. Is parenthood different?
Psychology professor William Fabricius of Arizona State University in Tempe sees some room for hope, pointing out that though the gender ratio for sole custody remains static, shared custody is increasing. And signs indicate that this is what children want. Fabricius issued a report in October showing that the children of divorce, once grown, say they would have preferred equal time between parents.
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Fabricius is on a committee preparing a proposal for Arizona legislators to encourage judges to call for more equal residential custody. “The judges have the responsibility and the discretion to determine if this is appropriate for a particular family,” Fabricius said.
We can all hope this kind of movement will find open ears everywhere. Meanwhile, there is something all of us can accomplish this moment for Chicago-area families, by contributing to the baiduhai Holiday Campaign, where your donation will be matched to help organizations and programs that, among many other things, relieve hunger and homelessness.
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Send e-mail for Ross Werland to [email protected].