Not only are courts traditionally more likely to side with a husband when cause must be shown, women are far more likely to be using domestic violence and/or other abuse as cause. Domestic violence, even when the police are involved, is very much a matter of he-said she-said, unless the parties are foolish enough to let fists fly in front of witnesses. And that's the easy kind of violence to prove - verbal and emotional abuse don't leave bruises or scars and can't possibly generate a police report. No-fault divorce laws allow a woman to begin proceedings for divorce from an abusive spouse without a long court battle on what was and what wasn't abuse and whether or not he did, in fact, abuse her.
That should be reason enough, but there are plenty more ways that having to show cause could affect a custody battle and other issues involving the children. I won't go into them.
Mind you, I'm not saying that it's impossible that a wife could abuse a husband. I'm just saying that it's far less likely, and that women, by and large, are MUCH more heavily affected by this kind of legislation change.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
branchandroot
(no subject)
Date: 2007-01-16 09:32 pm (UTC)That should be reason enough, but there are plenty more ways that having to show cause could affect a custody battle and other issues involving the children. I won't go into them.
Mind you, I'm not saying that it's impossible that a wife could abuse a husband. I'm just saying that it's far less likely, and that women, by and large, are MUCH more heavily affected by this kind of legislation change.