Shared custody has risen to the fore as one of the most contentious issues facing family law justice systems. Ongoing efforts to implement or contemplate legislative reforms to prescribe a rebuttable presumption for shared custody have been central. Drawing on in-depth, retrospective qualitative interviews with 28 young adults between 18 and 25 years of age, this researcher conducted a thematic analysis and examined children’s perspectives and motivations regarding transitions into and out of shared custody, relationships with parents, and their sense of fairness around decision-making. The dissertation research is presented in a ‘publications format’ and contains an introduction, three self-contained journal-ready publications and an overarching discussion. The introduction provided an overall review of the literature and presented a developing model for tying together the complex strands of existing theoretical and empirical literature. Paper one focused how and why transitions into and out of shared custody happen. Drawing on the metaphor of alchemy, the analysis illustrated that shared custody is not a short-cut to a successful custodial arrangement or parent-child relations. Shared custody blends together complex interactions among elements related to the child’s living situation, maturation and changing notions of fairness, flexibility, the push and pull of relationships, and in some instances, rigid enforcement. The second paper highlighted how participants’ utilized the business strategy of “managing-up” and illustrated how children are active agents in navigating post-separation family relations finding ways to exert their agency to help and protect siblings, manage parental conflict, maintain shared custody to shield their parents and siblings from emotional hurt and initiate contact to maintain parent-child relationships. Including children’s voices in custodial decision-making is predicated on a rights-based doctrine that children ought to have input on decisions that affect their best interests. Participants felt that young children (13 years or less) should have input in how their arrangements were constructed, but not the final say about the type of custodial arrangement. There was general consensus that adolescents (about age 14), should have considerably more input. A final overarching discussion chapter integrated the three papers with the model presented in the introduction and suggests implications for policy and practice.

(in English): The aim of this thesis is to find out how shared custody influences lives of children. The theoretical part is divided into six chapters. In the first one, I focus on the issues associated with divorce. The chapter starts with the history of divorce rates in our country including present day divorce rate statistics and the description of what divorce proceedings look like and their effect on the decision making of childcare after divorce. I also talk about how children handle divorce and how it reflects on their adult life. In this context I mention certain organizations and institutions where parents and children can seek help in the time around the divorce. In chapter four, I focus on the types of childcare after divorce and compare its advantages and disadvantages. After that I examine how the media, general public, and professionals view shared custody. The theoretical part ends with a chapter on specific situations in which court can decide for shared custody. That is followed by qualitative research on how shared custody is evaluated by professionals, such as teachers, carers, pedagogical assistants, social workers, workers of advisory centre and psychologists.

Cette étude s’intéresse à l’analyse qu’ont fait les juges de la Cour supérieure du Québec, entre 2016 et 2020, du critère de réussite de la garde partagée des capacités parentales comparables afin de déterminer s’il existe une différence entre les reproches émis à l’endroit des parents en fonction de leur genre. Nos résultats nous amènent à répondre par l’affirmative. En effet, non seulement les pères dans l’échantillon de décisions analysées voient leurs capacités parentales plus souvent remises en question que les mères, mais les reproches que les juges attribuent aux parents varient selon le genre de ces derniers. Principalement, les pères sont visés par des reproches concernant leur prise en charge des besoins de leur enfant, alors que les mères le sont quant à leur capacité à favoriser le lien de l’enfant avec le père. Certaines hypothèses sont finalement explorées afin de tenter d’expliquer les principales différences recensées à l’égard des reproches remettant en question les capacités parentales des pères et mères : les rôles parentaux traditionnels, les problèmes de santé mentale vécus plus spécifiquement par les pères et mères dans le cadre d’une rupture conjugale ainsi que l’influence des allégations de violence. / This study focuses on the Superior Court of Quebec judges’ analysis, between 2016 and 2020, of the shared custody criterion of parental abilities to determine whether there is a difference based on gender between the criticisms levelled at fathers and mothers. Our results lead us to answer in the affirmative. Indeed, not only do fathers in the sample of decisions analyzed find their parental abilities questioned more often than mothers, but the blame that judges attribute to parents varies according to their gender. Mainly, fathers are targeted by criticism regarding their support of their child’s needs, while mothers are targeted with respect to their ability to co-parent. Finally, some hypotheses are put forward to explain the main differences identified regarding the criticisms calling into question the parental abilities of fathers and mothers: traditional parental roles, mental health problems experienced more specifically by fathers and mothers in the context of a marital breakdown and, finally, the influence of allegations of violence.

The thesis "Shared Custody - Advantages and Disadvantages" focuses on joint custody as one of post-divorce arrangements. The theoretical part summarizes important position of a family in child's life, the position of parents and children in the time of divorce, and covers shared custody after divorce. It points out pros and cons of shared custody in more details and summarizes presumptions for its successful implementation. The survey represents opinions of professionals on shared custody, its pros and cons as well as important criteria such as suitable time interval and suitable child's age for joint custody. In addition, personal experience case studies are added for better illustration. The aim of the thesis is to point out aspects that are necessary to focus on while choosing this type of post-divorce arrangement.

A guarda compartilhada era desconhecida até o ano 2000, no Tribunal de Justiça do Rio Grande do Sul (SIMIONI, 2007). Em 2014, a Lei 13.058 altera o Código Civil (2002) para dispor que o tempo de convívio com os filhos deverá ser dividido de forma equilibrada com a mãe e com o pai, sempre tendo em vista as condições fáticas e os interesses de crianças e adolescentes. No contexto legislativo brasileiro, houve uma ruptura com o padrão sistemático de atribuição da guarda às mulheres. Essa ruptura se reflete nas práticas de justiça? A partir dessa pergunta, essa tese demonstrou, com base em pesquisa empírica e revisão bibliográfica, que há uma invisibilidade das desigualdades de gênero, em relação às demandas judiciais de guarda de crianças e adolescentes. O conceito de gênero é a ferramenta analítica que articulou as representações e as práticas sociais e legais. A condição pós-moderna do direito possibilita o reconhecimento da diversidade de vivências familiares da contemporaneidade, não havendo mais espaço para um modelo de família universal. As contribuições epistemológicas trazidas pela teoria do reconhecimento são temperadas pelo ‘paradoxo legal brasileiro’ (KANT DE LIMA, 1995), em que a ordem constitucional igualitária é aplicada de maneira hierárquica pelo sistema de justiça. A dimensão moral em torno do reconhecimento da qualidade ou do status social de um homem-pai em demandas de guarda de crianças e adolescentes norteia o debate. As mudanças relativas às funções parentais contemporâneas apontam para um engajamento na parentalidade masculina a partir da confrontação e depreciação, da desconstrução do reconhecimento ao modelo de parentalidade feminina. / The shared custody was unknown until the 2000 year for the Court of Justice of the Rio Grande do Sul (SIMIONI, 2007). In the year of 2014, the Law 13.058 amending the Civil Code (2002), to provide that the time of acquaintanceship with the children must be divided in equal form for the mother and the father, always observing the factual conditions, and the interests of children and adolescents involved. In the brazilian legislative context, there was a rupture with the systematic pattern of attribution of custody to the women. Does this rupture reflects in justice's practices? Starting from this question, this thesis has demonstrated, based on empirical research and in bibliographic revision, that there is an invisibility of gender inequality, in relation to the lawsuits of custody of children and adolescents. The concept of gender is the analytical tool that has articulated the representations and the legal and social practices. The postmodern condition of law makes capable the recognizing of the diversity of family in the contemporaneity, and there is no more space for a model of universal family. The epistemological contributions, that were given by the Theory of Recognition, they are tempered by the ‘brazilian legal paradox’ (KANT DE LIMA, 1995), in which the egalitarian constitutional order is applied in hierarchical ways by the system of justice. The moral dimension on the recognition of quality or on the social status of a father-man in lawsuits of custody of children and adolescents directs the debate. The related changes to the contemporary parental functions lead to a commitment in male parenthood, starting from the confrontation and the depreciation, from the deconstruction of recognition to the model of female parenthood.

The number of divorced families has been continually increasing and the Czech society accepts such families with dependent children tolerantly. Nowadays we know that a family with both parents but full of violence is much worse for children than living with a single parent. Psychosocial development of children growing in incomplete families thus does not have to be marked negatively. Despite that, in most cases a breakdown of a marriage with children is perceived as a hard and frustrating situation. And all the involved parties need to cope, particularly with the failure and loss in their lives. The objective of the thesis was to map attitudes of workers of the department of social and legal protection of children, marriage and family counselors, crisis and emergency centers and other professionals to the divorce situation of families with children in school age. Partial objectives of the thesis included mapping of opinions of the workers about the shared custody, experience of professionals with family mediation and determination whether the professionals are offered possibilities of further education. The views of the professionals were collected by means of a questionnaire survey conducted in January, February and March. 415 questionnaires were distributed at random. The research group consisted of 99 returned questionnaires. The individual categories of professionals did not demonstrate any significant differences in their attitudes to the shared custody. Divorce mediation was viewed as a suitable method for resolution of family disputes. The research has also shown that the professional community is offered sufficient opportunities of further education. According to the responding professionals, incomplete (divorced) families are capable of ensuring successful development of the children. The professionals concurred particularly on the opinion that each divorce situation needs to be approached individually.

A guarda compartilhada era desconhecida até o ano 2000, no Tribunal de Justiça do Rio Grande do Sul (SIMIONI, 2007). Em 2014, a Lei 13.058 altera o Código Civil (2002) para dispor que o tempo de convívio com os filhos deverá ser dividido de forma equilibrada com a mãe e com o pai, sempre tendo em vista as condições fáticas e os interesses de crianças e adolescentes. No contexto legislativo brasileiro, houve uma ruptura com o padrão sistemático de atribuição da guarda às mulheres. Essa ruptura se reflete nas práticas de justiça? A partir dessa pergunta, essa tese demonstrou, com base em pesquisa empírica e revisão bibliográfica, que há uma invisibilidade das desigualdades de gênero, em relação às demandas judiciais de guarda de crianças e adolescentes. O conceito de gênero é a ferramenta analítica que articulou as representações e as práticas sociais e legais. A condição pós-moderna do direito possibilita o reconhecimento da diversidade de vivências familiares da contemporaneidade, não havendo mais espaço para um modelo de família universal. As contribuições epistemológicas trazidas pela teoria do reconhecimento são temperadas pelo ‘paradoxo legal brasileiro’ (KANT DE LIMA, 1995), em que a ordem constitucional igualitária é aplicada de maneira hierárquica pelo sistema de justiça. A dimensão moral em torno do reconhecimento da qualidade ou do status social de um homem-pai em demandas de guarda de crianças e adolescentes norteia o debate. As mudanças relativas às funções parentais contemporâneas apontam para um engajamento na parentalidade masculina a partir da confrontação e depreciação, da desconstrução do reconhecimento ao modelo de parentalidade feminina. / The shared custody was unknown until the 2000 year for the Court of Justice of the Rio Grande do Sul (SIMIONI, 2007). In the year of 2014, the Law 13.058 amending the Civil Code (2002), to provide that the time of acquaintanceship with the children must be divided in equal form for the mother and the father, always observing the factual conditions, and the interests of children and adolescents involved. In the brazilian legislative context, there was a rupture with the systematic pattern of attribution of custody to the women. Does this rupture reflects in justice's practices? Starting from this question, this thesis has demonstrated, based on empirical research and in bibliographic revision, that there is an invisibility of gender inequality, in relation to the lawsuits of custody of children and adolescents. The concept of gender is the analytical tool that has articulated the representations and the legal and social practices. The postmodern condition of law makes capable the recognizing of the diversity of family in the contemporaneity, and there is no more space for a model of universal family. The epistemological contributions, that were given by the Theory of Recognition, they are tempered by the ‘brazilian legal paradox’ (KANT DE LIMA, 1995), in which the egalitarian constitutional order is applied in hierarchical ways by the system of justice. The moral dimension on the recognition of quality or on the social status of a father-man in lawsuits of custody of children and adolescents directs the debate. The related changes to the contemporary parental functions lead to a commitment in male parenthood, starting from the confrontation and the depreciation, from the deconstruction of recognition to the model of female parenthood.

A guarda compartilhada era desconhecida até o ano 2000, no Tribunal de Justiça do Rio Grande do Sul (SIMIONI, 2007). Em 2014, a Lei 13.058 altera o Código Civil (2002) para dispor que o tempo de convívio com os filhos deverá ser dividido de forma equilibrada com a mãe e com o pai, sempre tendo em vista as condições fáticas e os interesses de crianças e adolescentes. No contexto legislativo brasileiro, houve uma ruptura com o padrão sistemático de atribuição da guarda às mulheres. Essa ruptura se reflete nas práticas de justiça? A partir dessa pergunta, essa tese demonstrou, com base em pesquisa empírica e revisão bibliográfica, que há uma invisibilidade das desigualdades de gênero, em relação às demandas judiciais de guarda de crianças e adolescentes. O conceito de gênero é a ferramenta analítica que articulou as representações e as práticas sociais e legais. A condição pós-moderna do direito possibilita o reconhecimento da diversidade de vivências familiares da contemporaneidade, não havendo mais espaço para um modelo de família universal. As contribuições epistemológicas trazidas pela teoria do reconhecimento são temperadas pelo ‘paradoxo legal brasileiro’ (KANT DE LIMA, 1995), em que a ordem constitucional igualitária é aplicada de maneira hierárquica pelo sistema de justiça. A dimensão moral em torno do reconhecimento da qualidade ou do status social de um homem-pai em demandas de guarda de crianças e adolescentes norteia o debate. As mudanças relativas às funções parentais contemporâneas apontam para um engajamento na parentalidade masculina a partir da confrontação e depreciação, da desconstrução do reconhecimento ao modelo de parentalidade feminina. / The shared custody was unknown until the 2000 year for the Court of Justice of the Rio Grande do Sul (SIMIONI, 2007). In the year of 2014, the Law 13.058 amending the Civil Code (2002), to provide that the time of acquaintanceship with the children must be divided in equal form for the mother and the father, always observing the factual conditions, and the interests of children and adolescents involved. In the brazilian legislative context, there was a rupture with the systematic pattern of attribution of custody to the women. Does this rupture reflects in justice's practices? Starting from this question, this thesis has demonstrated, based on empirical research and in bibliographic revision, that there is an invisibility of gender inequality, in relation to the lawsuits of custody of children and adolescents. The concept of gender is the analytical tool that has articulated the representations and the legal and social practices. The postmodern condition of law makes capable the recognizing of the diversity of family in the contemporaneity, and there is no more space for a model of universal family. The epistemological contributions, that were given by the Theory of Recognition, they are tempered by the ‘brazilian legal paradox’ (KANT DE LIMA, 1995), in which the egalitarian constitutional order is applied in hierarchical ways by the system of justice. The moral dimension on the recognition of quality or on the social status of a father-man in lawsuits of custody of children and adolescents directs the debate. The related changes to the contemporary parental functions lead to a commitment in male parenthood, starting from the confrontation and the depreciation, from the deconstruction of recognition to the model of female parenthood.

This thesis is a theoretical study that characterizes shared childcare after divorce as the most suitable post-divorce arrangement. This assumption is based on developmental changes in the European family from the time of the French Revolution, the development of family law and important aspects of family law, as well as on the needs of children, and definitions of maternal and paternal love. This hypothesis is also supported by the results of foreign research, which compares the lives of children in different post-divorce arrangements. The following paper discusses mediation as an appropriate way of helping parents achieve a solution that is suitable for all participants in the dispute. In the conclusion some case studies are presented.

1 Abstract This thesis with the subject "The forms of custody for underage children in the times after split-up or divorce of their parents" is dealing with possible types of arrangements of custody for a child after the break up of his parents. This topic is currently very live in the Czech Republic, as well as in other advanced countries, because the amount of divorces is rising. According to the valid legislation it is possible to entrust the child, after the divorce of his parents, to either the custody of one of the parents, shared custody of both parents, joint custody or, if deemed necessary in regards to the needs of the child, to the custody of another person. The aim of this thesis is to create an overview which will acquaint the readers with all options of arrangements of the custody for children after the divorce of their parents which are established in the section § 907 of Act no. 89/2012 Coll., Civil Code. The increased attention is paid to the shared custody because of several recent breakthrough jurisprudences of the Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic concerning this legal institute. This thesis is split into 5 chapters, excluding introduction and conclusion. In the first chapter I concern with historical development of the legislation of decision making regarding the entrusting of...