She expanded on the social science case for 50:50 shared care as described in her book “The 50/50 Solution”.
A key factor is the emphasis this puts on ather involvement. When children have equal involvement of both separated parents in their life, the remove the risk that they think: “One of my parents doesn’t want to send time with me and maybe I don’t matter that much to that parent”.
A rebuttable presumption of equal parenting has been introduced in 6 US states. Kentucky was the first state to pass this law, and Emma pointed out that since then Kentucky has seen a significant reduction in domestic violence cases.
Emma also mentioned the gender equality aspects – her own survey showed that mothers with equal parenting earned significantly more than mothers who are the main or sole carers and she also mentioned Spanish research that showed similar results.
The Cross Party Group provides a forum for MSPs, stakeholders and other interested parties to engage directly in dialogue to inform policy developments and practice which impact on parents sharing responsibilities.