When husbands and fathers face the reality that their marriages are ending, many of them are not only disappointed and perhaps mildly depressed at this realization, but they may also be daunted by the perception that they stand to lose much more than their families.
When fathers face the possibility of having to fight for custody of their children, many of them only begrudgingly do so because they assume that they have no chance for success based on a perceived advantage that is held by the mothers in these situations.