In
determining child custody, the overriding factor that the court
considers is what is in the child's best interests. The court will
also consider whether one parent would be more likely than the
other to allow "frequent and continuing" contact with the
noncustodial parent. In California, there is no preference for
giving custody to one parent over the other simply based on
gender. For more information about this topic, please see our
child custody and support page.