First off, let me say I'm a male, and I come from a divorced family. My parents divorced when I was very young, and the courts sided overwhelmingly with my mother on pretty much everything. Even though my dad fought tooth and nail for me (and this was back in the 80's and early 90's), it was all for naught. 2 months out of the year custody due to living in different states, and nothing he ever did resulted in anything else, even though my mom was abusive to me and my sister (emotionally/mentally, with a very rare occasional physical one).

So, why the carte blanche with women? What's the history behind it? Exactly what happened in the American history, that took an equal, 50% split from Men, and gave it overwhelmingly to the women? Who was responsible for it, etc?

I know it has to do with the perceptions of women nurturing, and being more attentive to the needs of the children, but I don't know the actual history here.