A recent University of Connecticut study which suggests declining migration patterns are linked to divorce and parenting time issues. With both divorce and the trend toward joint custody continuing to rise, parents in California and elsewhere in the country may be less likely to move out of state because it means losing custody of their children. The divorce rate has risen over the past five decades while the rate of migration has dropped by half. However, until a University of Connecticut professor decided to look at how divorce has led to greater family complexity, the reduction in migration has remained unexplained.
In the past, , courts tended to award child custody to mothers. Fathers often became infrequent participants in their children’s lives and were more likely to move away. More recently, parents’ lives tend to remain entwined after the divorce. Parents who migrate less may result in a generation of children who do not move around as much either.
The researcher initially looked at other factors before arriving at the conclusion declining migration patterns are linked to divorce and parenting time. For example, an aging population might be less mobile, but after controlling for this, it was found to not be significant. The ups and downs of the economy also did not seem to influence migration. He theorized that people might move less because they owned their homes, but with steady home ownership rates over the past 20 years, this also proved to not be a cause.
A parent who is concerned about issues such as child custody may want to discuss those concerns with an experienced certified specialist in Family Law. Both of our our partners are California certified specialists and have decades of experience in Carlsbad divorce cases. We invite you to review the recommendations of our clients and contact us or call 760-389-3927 to schedule an appointment.