Press Release

FNF Comments on Survey by NAPO

Families Need Fathers (FNF) today commented on a survey published by NAPO the Family Court union, which claims that there is no evidence of systematic gender bias where parents make applications for contact with their children through the courts.

In fact the evidence provided falls far short of what might be needed to demonstrate that there is no bias against fathers, but rather demonstrates a defensive response on NAPO’s part to a system that is known to be failing non-resident fathers and their children.

For the survey to be credible NAPO would need to prove that virtually all fathers – as well as mothers – were given residence orders, as there is nothing stopping courts giving residence orders to both parents. The usual practice of granting a residence order to one parent (normally the mother) and a contact order to the other, labels one parent as the one that matters and the other as the one that doesn’t. No-one knows how often both parents are given residence orders as figures are not collected, but an informed guess would be about one in twenty.

In order to refute a gender bias NAPO would also need to prove that children were allowed a broadly equal relationship with both their parents. Yet the typical court order is still one that allows the children to visit their father every second weekend and some of the holidays – amounting possibly to one eighth or less of the child’s time. This contrasts starkly with the data supplied by The Equal Opportunities Commission and a recent Mintel report which documents that fathers in intact families currently provide one third of child care. Whereas after divorce or separation the child can expect his or her time with the father to be cut by some two thirds.

What is that but discrimination?

“There was a time, years ago, when all that most fathers demanded was what the Americans called ‘visitation rights’. The right to see their children occasionally. What most fathers now demand is a serious involvement with their children, both before and after separation. Some even dare to demand, well, equality with the mother. Yet NAPO is showing how far behind the agenda it is by refusing to document the true outcomes of these family proceedings,” commented FNF Chair John Baker.

“Few fathers go to the bitter end and get an order of no contact. Most give up beforehand. Neither does a court order for contact mean that the child gets that contact. For many fathers this is just one stage in the struggle, and contact ordered in court is commonly refused in practice. ” he added.