It’s been a fixture for generations that women would get the kids in Russia after a divorce. However, things are changing now.
Custody of kids after a divorce in Russia
In the vast majority of cases mothers are still getting the custody of children after a breakdown of a marriage. Only in 5% of cases fathers get the custody, Alimenty-expert.ru reported.
The practice of 50/50 splits where children spend one week with the father and the other week with the mother still hasn’t caught up in Russia.
In Russia, if there are kids under 18, the process of divorce has to be going through a court. It is the court that determines who the children will be living with, the mother or the father.
The fee to file to settle custody issues is 650 ruble (USD 10).
The divorce can be finalized without a court if one spouse is incarcerated, officially declared missing or incapable.
Why are children usually staying with the mother?
There is still a firm belief that mothers are better at looking after the young ones. 20% of Russians think so, according to a recent WCIOM poll.
- At the same time, only 2% of respondents stated that fathers are better custodians.
- The majority of respondents (58%) supported the idea of looking at the abilities of the people on case by case basis.
- At the same time, 15% of Russians believe that neither the father nor the mother would be able to do a good job at raising the kids alone.
So, at least 1/5 of respondents in Russia think that the mother should get the custody no matter what.
A recent poll by WCIOM asked Russian respondents who is a better custodian of children after a divorce.
Remember that it is the long-term social norm for women to seek fulfilment in the motherhood, while men are encouraged to build careers and be the family providers.
A large share of Russian women still supports the traditional family model, while some ladies would like to have the ability to be independent and build a career. You are able to find a woman to match your preferences, but it would be a good idea to do it early on to save both of you heartache and time. Most ladies would be happy to share with you their ideal of a happy family life they have been looking for.
Read also:
- What Russian Women Think about Marriage, Family, and Kids
- Why I will never marry… Confessions of a Russian woman
- Is the purpose of marriage to have kids?
- The biggest concern of Russian ladies seeking men for marriage
So most time women get custody in russia is it same in ukraine? If so does the men still have to pay child support ?
John, not “most time” — basically, mothers always get custody. And of course, fathers are supposed to pay child support. But they often don’t.
Are they not forced to pay by law/ goverment ?
John, Russian realities make it possible not to pay child support, if the father really doesn’t wish to do it. Just like in western countries, there are ways. Working without an official contract, low official wage + high unofficial wage, etc. People who run their own businesses have even more options to avoid it. Ask women who are single mothers, they will tell you what is really going on.
Sometimes both mother and father are incapable of raising the child and they are sent to live in an orphanage. Usually alcohol or abuse is the reason. There are few laws protecting women in Russia and the Ukraine. Women are usually left on their own to work and raise their children by themselves and sadly they live in poverty.
As an American I’m new to this whole concept and idea of potentially finding my perfect match in a country such as Russia or Ukraine, and because the age group I’m in, most women already have children (which is fine by me); But, how does that work with the father and custody, when the mother marries somebody else and moves halfway across the globe? Are they even allowed to do that? Don’t the fathers object? What does the law say? And what about the new American husband, do they usually adopt the children (if minors), or is that not even… Read more »
Max, fathers need to give permission to kids to move to another country. Most of them do, since they anyway don’t see kids, and her leaving means he no longer has to pay child support. Some mothers leave kids with their parents who look after them, if the father doesn’t sign the permit. Some mothers move and kids go to live with the father (rarely).
No, you can’t adopt kids who have a father. Some western husbands do adopt the wife’s kids (if the child officially has no father or the father was stripped of parental rights by the court).
Thx!