Kentucky's 2018 equal custody default cut divorces 25% versus 18% national drop. Old system made mothers default custodians with fathers as weekend visitors paying big alimony. Equal split forces ongoing intense contact with ex, deterring divorce. Lower or zero alimony kills divorce's economic appeal for women. Lawyers and mediators lose massive business from fewer fights. Abused women stay trapped fearing courts force kids to violent fathers. Kids sometimes return from fathers with injuries despite documented abuse. Courts stick to 50/50 even in proven violence cases. Some fathers fight for custody to dodge alimony, not love kids. Arkansas, Florida, Missouri adopted similar laws. Twenty more states eye equal custody bills. Fewer divorces mean more father involvement and less father financial draining. Critics say law ignores family exceptions and endangers kids.