The Equal Parent Presumption


Book Description

In custody battles over the children of separated parents, the prevailing standard of evaluating what is in the "best interests of the child" has been scrutinized because of the discretionary nature of what is "best" and because of the bias in favour of the child residing in one "primary residence." In response, a consensus is beginning to emerge that it is vitally important that children maintain meaningful relationships with both parents after divorce. In The Equal Parent Presumption, Edward Kruk proposes a child-focused approach based on a standard that considers the best interests of the child from the perspective of the child and a responsibility-to-needs orientation to social justice for children and families. Challenging previous research and received ideas, Kruk presents an evidence-based framework of equal parental responsibility as the most effective means of ensuring the protection of family relationships following divorce, and shielding children from ongoing parental conflict and family violence. The existing system of determining parental rights and responsibilities is harming families. The Equal Parent Presumption addresses a major barrier to the principle of gender equality in parenting after divorce, and proposes a viable alternative to sole custody in the form of a legal presumption of shared and equal parenting.




The Equal Parent


Book Description

‘All parents and would-be parents should read this book. It will change their lives.’ Mary Ann Sieghart, journalist and bestselling author of The Authority Gap Lying awake one night after struggling to put his new-born son back to sleep, Paul Morgan-Bentley found himself desperately scrolling for parenting advice for new fathers. Soon, Paul picked up on a reoccurring narrative – compared to mums, dads were useless. Frustrated by this generalisation and determined every parent should have an equal role in raising their child, Paul decided this narrative needed to change. In this deeply personal experience of fatherhood and parenting alongside his husband, Paul delves into what it really means to share the parental load, and how you can achieve it. With a range of research from around the world, and conversations with leading scientists, The Equal Parent explores the truths behind the falsehoods and myths about parenting roles. This book will help give you the tools to achieve the parenting equality that will benefit everyone in your family: mothers, fathers and, most importantly, your children. A myth-busting must-read about creating parenting equality for fans of Caitlin Moran, The Danish Way of Parenting and The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read. ‘An essential interrogation of the inequities of modern parenting. This book will change the way you see your family.’ Leah Hazard, Sunday Times bestselling author of Womb ‘An important book – an antidote to the many misconceptions surrounding parenthood. Thoughtful and encouraging, it is an inspiring look at how parenting can be.’ Catherine Cho, author of Inferno: A Memoir of Motherhood and Madness ‘A fascinating and well-written journey… delightful… It’s exactly the kind of parenting book I love. Highly recommended.’ Jessica Joelle Alexander, author of The Danish Way of Parenting ‘An incredible book on parenthood.’ Ziauddin Yousafzai ‘So validating... a brilliant book.’ Sunday Times Style ‘Incredible.’ Pink News ‘Completely fascinating.’ The Observer ‘A really valuable book, written with great insight and warmth.’ Brian Viner, author and critic ‘A fascinating deepdive into parenting roles.’ Sun Fabulous Mag ‘A timely, humane and very welcome read.’ Sarah Blaffer Hrdy, author of Mother Nature and Mothers and Others ‘Funny, tender and insightful.’ Metro ‘Absolutely THE read… a timely conversation about what constitutes an equally parenting scenario.’ Goodreads reviewer ‘Fascinating and captivating… Would highly recommend, especially for new parents.’ Goodreads reviewer




All the Rage


Book Description

Why do men do so little at home? Why do women do so much? Why don't our egalitarian values match our lived experiences? Journalist-turned-psychologist Darcy Lockman offers a clear-eyed look at the most pernicious problem facing modern parents—how progressive relationships become traditional ones when children are introduced into the household. In an era of seemingly unprecedented feminist activism, enlightenment, and change, data shows that one area of gender inequality stubbornly persists: the disproportionate amount of parental work that falls to women, no matter their background, class, or professional status. All the Rage investigates the cause of this pervasive inequity to answer why, in households where both parents work full-time and agree that tasks should be equally shared, mothers’ household management, mental labor, and childcare contributions still outweigh fathers’. How, in a culture that pays lip service to women’s equality and lauds the benefits of father involvement—benefits that extend far beyond the well-being of the kids themselves—can a commitment to fairness in marriage melt away upon the arrival of children? Counting on male partners who will share the burden, women today have been left with what political scientists call unfulfilled, rising expectations. Historically these unmet expectations lie at the heart of revolutions, insurgencies, and civil unrest. If so many couples are living this way, and so many women are angered or just exhausted by it, why do we remain so stuck? Where is our revolution, our insurgency, our civil unrest? Darcy Lockman drills deep to find answers, exploring how the feminist promise of true domestic partnership almost never, in fact, comes to pass. Starting with her own marriage as a ground zero case study, she moves outward, chronicling the experiences of a diverse cross-section of women raising children with men; visiting new mothers’ groups and pioneering co-parenting specialists; and interviewing experts across academic fields, from gender studies professors and anthropologists to neuroscientists and primatologists. Lockman identifies three tenets that have upheld the cultural gender division of labor and peels back the ways in which both men and women unintentionally perpetuate old norms. If we can all agree that equal pay for equal work should be a given, can the same apply to unpaid work? Can justice finally come home?




Equally Shared Parenting


Book Description

This Is Parenting on Your Own Terms Chances are, you'd rather not forfeit your happy, rested life the moment you become a parent. As a mom, you may want to keep your career, but aren't sure how to balance it with housework and childcare. As a dad, you probably want to witness your child's milestones, but a demanding job may get in the way. And what about time for yourself (never mind your sex life)? Marc and Amy Vachon were determined to beat this scenario when their first child was born. They vowed to sidestep the world's expectations of new parents and create a parenthood model that worked for them. Their strategy was to share everything-the good and the bad. They became peers in each area of parenthood: childcare, housework, and breadwinning. They also made time for themselves, and for each other. They shared the burdens so nobody was overwhelmed, and the joys so neither missed out on the fun. Drawing on Marc and Amy's experiences, as well as those of dozens of ESP couples, Equally Shared Parenting shows you how to create a balanced life that is rarely experienced by today's parents. It's not just about who vacuums and who does the dishes, or who brings in the paycheck and who tends to the kids. You'll learn how to look at every aspect of parenthood, money, careers, and your individual needs, so you can build a life that works for you both.




Dads Don't Babysit: Towards Equal Parenting


Book Description

By turns informative and irreverent this book takes a new approach to tackling gender inequality in the home and at work, focusing on dads being entitled to a bigger role in parenting. It presents the barriers men face to being active dads - from sexist security guards to Tory MPs and even Homer Simpson - and, crucially, it outlines how to tackle them for the good of men, women and children. In Dads Don't Babysit two dads outline some of the biggest problems facing families that want dad to get his turn at raising the kids, and offer a range of solutions in a manifesto for parents and policy makers to consider and hopefully adopt. The book tackles topics such as the gender pay gap, lack of a strong parental leave system in the UK, the financial penalties of taking time off to look after children and the limiting expectations parents find colleagues, relatives and the media have on mums and dads. The authors draw on their own experience of parenting and that of others. Interviews are backed up by extensive research so that the book presents these important issues in an accessible, personal and at times light-hearted way that the apolitical reader will be able to relate to. There is a lively and growing argument about men's role in the 21st century and this book offers a unique perspective, giving a feminist argument by men offering solutions to benefit everyone.




Equal Parenthood and Social Policy


Book Description

Sweden is the only society in the world that has as an official goal the equal participation of fathers and mothers in childcare. Equal Parenthood and Social Policy analyzes the government program which best symbolizes this commitment to equal parenthood—parental leave. With return to one's original job being assured, a Swedish couple has twelve months to divide between them so that one parent can stay home to care for their new offspring. While a few other countries, mostly in Scandinavia, have paid parental leave available to fathers, Sweden's program is the oldest and most generous, as well as the one most closely committed to realizing complete equality between men and women in every sphere of social life. In analyzing this unique social program, Haas describes the social, political, and economic circumstances which led Sweden to take such a revolutionary stance on the issue of shared parenthood. Haas also discusses the extent to which Swedish fathers take advantage of their right to parental leave, barriers to fathers' participation, and fathers' experiences while on leave, along with the effects that leavetaking has on mothers' and fathers' later labor market involvement and participation in childcare. This study of the Swedish program raises important questions about future prospects for equal parenthood in Sweden and other industrial societies, and, more significantly, about the potential effectiveness of social policy for bringing about the end of such a cultural universal as women's responsibility for infants.




Love, Money, and Parenting


Book Description

Doepke and Zilibotti investigate how economic forces shape how parents raise their children. They show that in countries with increasing economic inequality, such as the United States, parents push harder to ensure their children have a path to security and success. Economics has transformed the hands-off parenting of the 1960s and '70s into a frantic, overscheduled activity. Growing inequality has also resulted in an increasing 'parenting gap' between richer and poorer families, raising the disturbing prospect of diminished social mobility and fewer opportunities for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. The authors discuss how investments in early childhood development and the design of education systems factor into the parenting equation, and how economics can help shape policies that will contribute to the ideal of equal opportunity for all. --From publisher description.




How It Feels When a Parent Dies


Book Description

INCLUDES PHOTOGRAPHS • For any child grieving a parent—eighteen children from ages 7-17 share their experiences and feelings about losing a parent.




How to be a Happier Parent


Book Description

An encouraging guide to helping parents find more happiness in their day-to-day family life, from the former lead editor of the New York Times' Motherlode blog. In all the writing and reporting KJ Dell'Antonia has done on families over the years, one topic keeps coming up again and again: parents crave a greater sense of happiness in their daily lives. In this optimistic, solution-packed book, KJ asks: How can we change our family life so that it is full of the joy we'd always hoped for? Drawing from the latest research and interviews with families, KJ discovers that it's possible to do more by doing less, and make our family life a refuge and pleasure, rather than another stress point in a hectic day. She focuses on nine common problem spots that cause parents the most grief, explores why they are hard, and offers small, doable, sometimes surprising steps you can take to make them better. Whether it's getting everyone out the door on time in the morning or making sure chores and homework get done without another battle, How to Be a Happier Parent shows that having a family isn't just about raising great kids and churning them out at destination: success. It's about experiencing joy--real joy, the kind you look back on, look forward to, and live for--along the way.




The Danish Way of Parenting


Book Description

International bestseller As seen in The Wall Street Journal--from free play to cozy together time, discover the parenting secrets of the happiest people in the world What makes Denmark the happiest country in the world--and how do Danish parents raise happy, confident, successful kids, year after year? This upbeat and practical book presents six essential principles, which spell out P-A-R-E-N-T: Play is essential for development and well-being. Authenticity fosters trust and an "inner compass." Reframing helps kids cope with setbacks and look on the bright side. Empathy allows us to act with kindness toward others. No ultimatums means no power struggles, lines in the sand, or resentment. Togetherness is a way to celebrate family time, on special occasions and every day. The Danes call this hygge--and it's a fun, cozy way to foster closeness. Preparing meals together, playing favorite games, and sharing other family traditions are all hygge. (Cell phones, bickering, and complaining are not!) With illuminating examples and simple yet powerful advice, The Danish Way of Parenting will help parents from all walks of life raise the happiest, most well-adjusted kids in the world.