Is Shared Parenting Coming to Greece?

October 14, 2020 by Robert Franklin, JD, Member, National Board of Directors

Our Greek friends in the global movement for shared parenting have been actively trying to convince the Hellenic Parliament to reform child custody laws to make shared parenting the norm there.  If Active Dads of Greece succeeds, they’ll have had a huge impact on Greek children and society.  Currently, the pro-mother bias of the courts overwhelms all other variables in deciding custody and parenting time.  A whopping 98% of custodial parents in Greece are mother.

Here, the figure is about 80%, but interestingly, popular opinion in Greece on the subject of child custody closely parallels our own.  Here’s a link to a survey of Greek parents, male and female, married and divorced, that’s much like ones conducted here in the U.S., some at the request of NPO and some not.

So, for example, about 73% of those surveyed either disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement, “The father is not equally capable to the mother in exercising custody of children.”  An additional 6% expressed no opinion on the matter, leaving just 21% who agreed.  In short, the overwhelming majority of Greek parents think fathers make as good parents as do mothers.

More to the point, the survey also asked respondents to reply to the statement, “The state should proceed in enacting shared parenting laws.”  Some 86% either agreed or strongly agreed that it should.  An additional 6% didn’t state an opinion on the subject, leaving only 8% opposed to shared parenting.

In other words, the practices of Greek family courts are dramatically at odds with the preferences (and wisdom) of the Greek people.  In that clearly unacceptable way too, Greek courts are like ours.

And, needless to say, they’re dramatically at odds with the social science on children’s well-being following divorce.  Active Dads of Greece reprises the work of Swedish researcher Dr. Malin Bergstrom in chart form.  Her study of some 150,000 school-age children showed that, when it came to children’s emotional and educational welfare, intact families were best.

But if the parents split up, equal parenting time for Mom and Dad each was the best arrangement.  Primary custody for one parent was next and sole custody was the worst arrangement of all.

And of course there are over 60 other studies that, when taken together, powerfully argue for equal parenting time for each parent as in children’s best interests.  Plus, there is essentially no science for the contrary position.  Those opposed to children maintaining meaningful relationships with both parents following divorce nitpick at the studies that find equal parenting to be best for kids, but offer nothing to suggest that some other arrangement is better, and certainly nothing that withstands the level of scrutiny they direct at pro-shared parenting findings.  It’s a telling omission on their part, to say the least.

The Greek government has announced that family law reform will take place this month.  We’ll see if reform there means conforming Greek law and practice with children’s well-being, the science thereon and the desires of the Greek people or not.

Stay tuned.