Vastly unequal wealth between spouses often contributes to a couple’s divorce. There’s also a high chance that financial inequality will also cause contentious moments during the divorce as they try to settle property division, child support and perhaps spousal support.
One question the spouses might have is whether the wealthier spouse will gain an advantage in custody decisions. The better-off spouse might assume they will, because their superior wealth will allow them to give the child more. For example, they could pay for a better college, a better house, vacations that allow the child to see more of the world and a higher day-to-day standard of living.
The less well-off spouse might fear they will struggle to get the custody deal they would like, because they know they won’t be able to afford to pay for those same opportunities.
A judge won’t look at it like that
A divorce judge is interested in one thing when asked to rule on custody matters. They want what is the best option for the child. In order to determine what is in the child’s best interests, they will look at far more than just the couple’s respective bank accounts or earning potential. They’ll look at things such as how the parents have split child-raising duties up to this point and the child’s relationship to each parent. They’ll look at how each parent is proposing to take care of the child in the future, the stability each parent can provide and much more.
Considerable earnings often come with an intense workload that reduces a parent’s ability to be available for their child. An athlete who is constantly training or traveling, or a business magnate who works 18-hour days, might not be seen as being able to give the child as much care and attention as a parent who will earn far less, but can pick the kids up from school and cook them dinner each day.
Parents in this situation can benefit from learning more about how a court would define the child’s best interest and the options available to best serve that goal.