According to American Demographics fewer than half the marriages of ten years ago are intact today. Extrapolations from more recent figures indicate that the half life of a California marriage is three years. As a direct result for over 540,000 California children father is either a shadowy man who ran away long ago or only comes to visit once or twice a month. Society changed dramatically is the last two decades. Women's integration into the workforce.
Women are no longer economic captives to husbands.
Reduced social stigma of divorce combined with the financial incentives in community property states. Society eliminated the stigma of women working and being independent and with it the stigma on manhood of being active childrearers and care givers. Judges only picked up on the first part. Aid to Families with Dependent Children. This federal program designed with the noble intention of keeping poor women from starving, provides financial incentives for women to have children without fathers and chase away existing fathers.