And unfortunately, despite the emancipation of women, child custody and visitation battles remain a common feature of many bitter divorces. While women generally have an advantage here, a mother cannot automatically assume she will be awarded custody of the children in contested cases. In the event of a dispute, a mother must prove to the court that her custody is in "the best interest of the child." In practice, unfortunately, this often means documenting the shortcomings of her estranged husband.

Even in jurisdictions where fault remains an option, more and more divorces are uncontested. However, in cases where divorces go to trial - probably less five percent - liberalization and no-fault have not eased the acrimony and the pain and suffering of a divorce battle. Indeed, in the past forty years, law firms specializing as counsel for men or counsel for women market themselves as "fathers’ rights" and "mothers’ rights" firms. Many lawyers caution that judges throw a very cold eye on the tactics used by gender rights attorneys. Judges can spot attorneys who come to court with a gender agenda. And the court may become reflexively skeptical about the good faith of such practitioners.