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 husbands or fathers face the possibility of a divorce, they often face this scenario with a bit of a defeatist attitude because they assume that they have no chance at emerging victorious.
When someone faces the reality that his or her marriage is ending, that person faces a very difficult situation for many different reasons. Clearly, this is an emotional time where someone's family is being torn apart, and this is particularly true if there are children of that marriage.
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.