Luta pela guarda compartilhada: Narrativas dos pais

The present article is part of a broader research about the experience of divorced parents who fight for the joint custody of their children. The purpose of this study is to investigate the repercussions of prioritizing the custody of the mother over the father, and the role of joint custody as an alternative to family life. The authors interviewed 12 subjects – 10 men and 2 women – who described difficulties in maintaining parent-child bonds after the end of the conjugal relationship. The authors recruited participants online, from Facebook pages that serve as a support network for parents who fight in the legal system for the joint custody of their children. Among the main hardships mentioned by the participants, stand out the limitation of family life with their children after the conjugal separation and the slow pace of the legal system regarding rulings over joint custody claims. The authors conclude that it is necessary to build social, cultural, legal, and political support systems capable of deconstructing the stereotype of the woman as a better caretaker than the man, as well as the one of the man as a helper-provider in the parent-child relationship.