Satellite fathers in child protection services
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5027/psicoperspectivas-Vol24-Issue1-fulltext-3111Keywords:
protección a la infancia, padres satelites, discursos profesionales, desigualdad de géneroAbstract
The role of fathers in child protection services has received increasing attention at the international level. Literature shows a systematic lack of paternal involvement in these interventions, causing their invisibility and scarce representation, meanwhile mothers are the ones mostly summoned. This article analyzes the results of a qualitative study conducted in Chile, focused on the discursive constructions of parenthood and its gender implications. The analysis was based on a review of case files and interviews with professionals from three child protection agencies. Based on the identification of thematic axes, discursive aspects were analyzed in the way of articulating the understandings of the cases. The findings reveal coincidences with international trends, but also identify a specific discourse that describes parents as “satellites”, reflecting cultural constructions that reinforce gender inequality. This discourse contributes to the exoneration of parents in situations of violence and to the unequal allocation of parental responsibilities.
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