In the past, women generally received custody of the children as well as child support in a divorce case.
However, that is now changing to some degree, and one argument being advanced by some people is that children should live with the parent who has the most money. Even wealthy parents are being awarded child support in some cases — and there are times when the parent who has to pay child support makes significantly less money than the parent who was awarded the support.
Is that fair? That question is at the heart of the debate regarding child support and whether people who are wealthy should automatically get child custody over their kids (and child support).
Naturally, there are pros and cons to giving custody to the more affluent parent. While a parent who has more money can provide more for a child in the way of material goods, that does not necessarily make the wealthier parent a better parent. In other words, the amount of money a parent has, or makes, has nothing to do with the quality of parenting that person provides, or the level of love and dedication provided to the children.
That has to be considered carefully in a divorce and custody case, because there are many other issues unrelated to money that can and should be addressed when children are involved. As the landscape of child custody and divorce continues to change and develop, however, it is very possible that there will be further battles regarding whether the wealthier parent should automatically receive custody.
Source: Huffington Post, “Should the richer parent get custody?” Paulina Gaines, Sept. 28, 2012