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Support Equal Pay Day with Shared Parenting

NATIONAL PARENTS ORGANIZATION
PRESS RELEASE
April 8, 2018


SUPPORT EQUAL PAY DAY WITH SHARED PARENTING
MORE THAN 20 STATES CONSIDERING REFORM


Boston, MA – National Parents Organization urges citizens and legislators nationwide to recognize Equal Pay Dayon Tuesday, April 10, by supporting shared parenting legislation across the country.

Nearly 30% of mothers are single mothers. The current sole custody model assigns mothers nearly 90 percent of the parenting time after separation or divorce, which limits their time to pursue career goals.

“When children have as close to equal time as possible with each parent, moms and dads also have equal time for their careers,” said Ned Holstein, MD, Founder and Board Chair of National Parents Organization. “And since almost 30 percent of mothers are saddled with nearly full-time single parenting, the pay gap cannot be closed without shared parenting.”

“Our family courts need to stop placing sole responsibility for child rearing on the mother and encourage their career achievements by allowing dad to assume equal responsibility for raising children,” Dr. Holstein said. “Shared parenting is most important for the children, who want and need equal time with mom and dad following divorce. But shared parenting also has benefits for the parents, including promoting equal opportunity to accomplish professional goals.”

While shared parenting – a flexible arrangement where children spend as close to equal time as possible with each parent – is unusual, efforts to turn it from the exception to the norm within family courts are growing. The Washington Post reports that, within the past year, more than 20 states have considered the reform in the past year. Several states have recently implemented reform, and numerous others – including Virginia, Missouri, Michigan and Alabama – are currently considering shared parenting legislation.

Additionally, shared parenting has received high-profile endorsements, including support from the Catholic Church as well as the 2015 International Conference on Shared Parenting and the Council of Europe.

“Shared parenting gets rid of the outdated model of one homemaker and one breadwinner and allows both parents the time to pursue a successful work-life balance,” Dr. Holstein said. “The evidence showing shared parenting is in the best interest of children when parents divorce or separate is overwhelming. With this in mind, backing family law reform that seeks to move shared parenting from rare to common in courtrooms is a terrific way to support the best possible environment for children. This Equal Pay Day, let’s work together to help give children of single parents what they most want and need – love, time and support from both parents.”

RECENT RESEARCH: SHARED PARENTING VERSUS SINGLE PARENTING
Shared Parenting Data

Single Parenting Data
According to 
federal statistics from sources including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Census Bureau, children raised by single parents account for:

  • 63% of teen suicides;
  • 70% of juveniles in state-operated institutions;
  • 71% of high school drop-outs;
  • 75% of children in chemical abuse centers;
  • 85% of those in prison;
  • 85% of children who exhibit behavioral disorders; and
  • 90% of homeless and runaway children.


ABOUT NATIONAL PARENTS ORGANIZATION
National Parents Organization, a charitable and educational 501 (c)(3) organization, seeks better lives for children through family law reform that establishes equal rights and responsibilities for fathers and mothers after divorce or separation. The organization is focused on promoting shared parenting and preserving a child’s strong bonds with both parents, which is critically important to their emotional, mental, and physical health. National Parents Organization released the Shared Parenting Report Card, the first study to rank the states on child custody laws, and in 2017, National Parents Organization hosted the International Conference on Shared Parenting, bringing in research scholars from 18 countries to share their results on shared parenting. Visit the National Parents Organization website at www.nationalparentsorganization.org.

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