In equal care, mother and father share the care of their children about half - even if they no longer live together. In this way, children can maintain a deeper relationship with both parents even after their parents have separated. This system also has many advantages for these parents. Separated mothers are no longer overwhelmed by the triple burden of work, children and household. On the one hand, because of the father's care work, they can work more and thus often take on a higher-quality and better-paid job. They also have much more free time because they no longer have to look after the children after work. Fathers have the opportunity to take an active part in their children's growth and to remain anchored in their children's lives despite the separation. Equal care means more quality of life for everyone – children, fathers and mothers.
Equal care also works in cases of conflictual dissolution of relationships.
Arguments for equal care
We have compiled a number of reasons for equal care and compared them to the arguments of single parents. The paper summarizes the main arguments for one form of custody or another; regardless of whether the reasons given are true or false, ideological or rational, reasonable or scandalous. Sole custody supporters usually defend the mother's custody of the children.
Literature on equal care
For further literature on equal care, we refer to the international organization ICSP (International Council on Shared Parenting), which compiles the scientific work in this area worldwide.