A survey of processes (post) divorce in Portugal

law, gender and social practices

Abstract

The communication intended to be submitted is based on some preliminary results of the project “(Des) gender equality at work and private life: the laws of social practices” (PTDC/SEDE/72257/2006) and the PhD project of one of the authors of this communication entitled “gender inequalities: processes of marital disruption and subsequent protection of children” (SFRH/ BD/41950/2007). This project is part of the global hypothesis that the forms of gender inequality and domination, although tax mechanisms macro-economic and institutional reproduce also the micro level (family, business, public and private institutions), implying some and several other variables, namely the presence / absence of a certain degree of power available (empowerment) on resources and rewards for the social actors. Imbricando the concepts of class and gender in a critical combination of perspectives (neo) Marxist, Weberian, and Foucauldian-symbolic interactionist but having as a theoretical background a feminist approach to multi-dimensional, cross methodologies of quantitative and qualitative information in order to produce new empirical knowledge and theoretical and analytical regarding the administration of justice in cases of divorce and parental regulation. Given the tensions and strategies that involve such processes, this paper focuses on the analysis of official statistics collected and judgments in Family and Juvenile Courts of municipalities in the district of Braga.