Women and Children Last : Custody Disputes and the Family "Justice System

Women and Children Last : Custody Disputes and the Family "Justice System by Taylor, Georgina; Barnsley, Jan; Goldsmith, Penny. paperback edition. ISBN: 9780968126400.

In this exploration of the injustices women and children face in the British Columbia family justice system the authors argue in Women and Children Last that fathers rights systematically take precedence in custody and access disputes. Womens social inequality is thereby perpetuated, and they and their children may also see their very freedom and safety compromised, in cases where the ex-partner was violent or otherwise abusive. This process is disguised under the current principle of "gender neutrality," which the authors reject in favour of "gender reality," to take into account womens primary parenting work. They would also redefine the "best interests of the child" concept to include the negative effects on children of witnessing violence. The authors are members of the Vancouver Custody and Access Support and Advocacy Association, a collective of feminists from the BC shelter movement and other organizations concerned with the status of women. They state clearly at the outset that, while Women and Children Last is based on the collectives extensive contact with over 1,000 women, it is neither a research report nor a theoretical analysis of the problematic. Rather, it is a passionate feminist plea for social change.