The attitude of Greek society towards the issue of parenting after divorce or separation is strikingly backward compared to that of other advanced countries. The perception that the child remains primarily or exclusively under the care of one parent after separation is deeply rooted in all strata of Greek society, from the most conservative to the supposedly more progressive, including mental health professionals, lawyers, and judges.

The international research consensus, derived from numerous studies across many disciplines, that the ongoing, direct, and active involvement of both parents in their children's lives is crucial for their well-being, remains remarkably foreign in Greece.

The book gathers studies from Greek and international experts from different fields, who explain based on the findings of contemporary empirical research that equal parenting is the only model that offers the maximum possible well-being for children and parents after separation or divorce and satisfies demands for social justice regarding the protection of a child's right to equality, as it establishes the child's right to be equally raised by both parents and to maintain their original relationship with both.

The book aims to serve as a guide for parents as well as for child protection specialists, lawyers, judges, psychologists, psychiatrists, pediatricians, social workers, and educators.

Contents

Preface

Introduction

1. The child's best interest regarding the establishment of joint custody

2. The psychological development of children growing up in joint physical custody (joint custody)

3. Parental alienation

4. Joint parenting and parental alienation. Improvement thoughts

5. The role of the father in the psychosocial development of children and adolescents before and after divorce

6. Long-term effects of equally shared parenting on children's health

7. The beneficial role of joint parenting in children's brain development

8. Lessons from Sweden's research journey towards joint parenting

9. What constitutes "equality" in joint parental responsibility?

10. How the "child's opinion" will not function like the "biological superiority of the mother" in the past

11. Joint custody and alternating residence in the new family law

Glossary of terms

The authors of the volume