A new study of divorce and separation cases in the Irish courts has found that men are vastly less likely than women to be made the primary carers of their children; and tend to come off worse in the post-separation division of assets, especially if the man is a stay-at-home father.

The study, reported in the Irish Independent, was carried out by Roisin O’Shea with funding from the Irish Research Council, and looked at over 1,000 cases.

It found that “joint custody” does not mean “shared parenting” as children ended up living with their mother in 95% of cases. The report also said that the mother having custody of the children in the family home was presumed to be the “status quo” in “almost all courts”.

Ms O’Shea told the Irish Independent that men leave the family home during a marital breakdown, presuming this is the best decision. “Once they are out of the family home, judges see that as the status quo” she said.

Once gone, men often have great difficulty in getting access to their children. “Standard access” for non-resident parents (mostly fathers) to their children after divorce or separation is “a couple of hours” every second week – with a few hours once or twice during the week. According to the study, “primary carers, the vast majority of whom are women, often sought to severely restrict or exclude the other parent from the lives of their children.”

The report also found that 100% of orders for maintenance payments were made against fathers, even in cases where they were unable to pay.