Influential Factors and Equity Issues in Divorce Settlements

Divorcing parents have the challenge of determining postdivorce rights and responsibilities. If they are unable to meet this challenge, a judge will determine these rights and responsibilities. This legal agreement constitutes the divorce settlement and includes custody, visitation, and financial arrangements. The purpose of this article is to outline common custody, visitation, child and spousal support, and property arrangements and to identify factors which correlate with various arrangements. Based on this review, questions are raised that family life educators, therapists, and policy advocates should consider when planning and implementing their interventions, and possible program formats are proposed.