With special guest:
- Prof Robert Kenedy
Robert Kennedy was a famous American political leader but our guest today with a similar name is recognised around the world for other reasons. We speak in this program to Professor Kenedy in Toronto Canada to find out what he has discovered after conducting research in the areas of fathers, shared parenting and related issues for the last 15 years. This research has taken Robert to the UK, the US, Europe and most recently Australia and New Zealand where he has conducted thousands of interviews.
The research indicates that the family law system in western democracies is broken and that it needs desperately to be re-envisioned. The consequences for ourselves and our children of continuing as we are at present are presented by Professor Kenedy and it is not a pretty picture. We then talk about an innovative and exciting approach being developed in conjunction with interested parties in Australia. This approach recognises that if parents end their relationship they are not divorcing the children. Unlike the current system it is not going to be so financially, emotionally and psychologically draining. It is called “continued parenting” so that if there is a fork in the road for the parents it does not mean that the children are prevented from continuing in their relationship with both parents.
Nearly everyone has experienced a marriage break-up, personally or indirectly, so this topic is important for all of us. To explore the cutting edge of current research in this important area tune into what our special guest has to say.
Prof Robert Kenedy
Dr Robert Kenedy is Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, York University, Toronto Canada. He is on the Advisory Board of New Male Studies Journal. Dr Kenedy is the author of a number of publications and is writing a book on the global shared parenting movement. On a recent trip to Australia Dr Kenedy met with members of Parliament in Canberra and presented to a roundtable conference in Parliament House.
Song selections by our guest: Daddy doesn’t live here anymore by The Marshes & Dazed and Confused by Led Zeppelin