What can we learn from Norway about shared parenting?

There’s important new research from Norway that has clear relevance to the conversation we’re having here in Scotland about shared parenting.

A new study by Kenneth Aarskaug Wiik, published in the Journal of Marriage and Family, analysed data from 6,342 separated fathers and mothers in Norway, taking account of the family circumstances of both parents.

One finding deserves particular attention:

Shared custody was associated with lower levels of interparental conflict, even after taking social, economic and family differences into account.

Parents in shared custody also reported greater satisfaction with their custody arrangement than parents in arrangements where the children did not habitually reside with them.

The research also challenges some of the assumptions that can creep into discussions about separation and shared parenting.

A new relationship does not, in itself, mean that co-parenting will deteriorate. The experiences of fathers and mothers vary according to the custody arrangement and the wider family circumstances.

In other words, there is no single reality for every family after separation. This is as true in Scotland as it is anywhere else.

At Shared Parenting Scotland, we believe discussions about children’s lives after separation should be grounded in evidence rather than assumptions. Shared parenting should never mean ignoring conflict, risk or the individual circumstances of a child or family.

Where there is harmful conflict, families need appropriate intervention and support. Where children need protection, their safety must always come first.

Conflict should not become an automatic argument for diminishing the importance of a child’s relationship with one parent.

Research from Norway should form part of an evidence-informed conversation about what helps children and parents after separation.

It’s important that we have that conversation here in Scotland. You can read the article in full here