Separated fathers and the ‘fathers’ rights’ movement

Separated fathers often feel profound grief, distress, and anger at the end of their relationships with their partners and their children. Some are recruited into ‘fathers’ rights’ groups, a network which claims to advocate on behalf of men and fathers who are the victims of discrimination and injustice in the Family Court and elsewhere. Yet such groups do little to help fathers heal or to build or maintain ongoing and positive relationships with their children. Some men do find solace and support in these groups, but they also may be incited into anger, blame, and destructive strategies of litigation. The fathers’ rights movement prioritises formal principles of equality over positive parenting and the well-being of women and children. Some groups seem more concerned\ud with re-establishing paternal authority and fathers’ decision-making related to their children’s and\ud ex-partners’ lives than with actual involvements with children. However, other responses to separated fathers are more constructive. Positive responses to separated men involve service provision in the community sector, forms of mediation which prioritise children’s wellbeing and safety, accountable grassroots-based support groups, and above all, strategies aimed at increasing fathers’ involvements in the care of children prior to separation and divorce