Publications / Articles / 2007 / 2007:038 Ungdom og delt bosted
Ungdom og delt bosted
The article is based on a study of both parents´ and children´s experiences with shared residence following the breakdown of a marriage. The notion of shared residence implies that children divide their time equally between the homes of both parents. The focus is on the experiences of young people. We find that, to some extent, they have different needs and preferences than when they were younger. They also expect to have a saying on the organization of their family life, and negotiate to adjust themselves to peer relations and leisure activities. Autonomy is the main key concept in the discourse on young people in Norway. The study of children´s experiences on shared residence exposes how children take responsibility in the family to make a just settlement for their parents and develop good relationships with their parents´ new partners and new siblings. Their relationships in the family have a great impact on defining their interests and identifications. The article concludes that the discourse on young people may overemphasis autonomy, on the expenses of children´s relational responsibility, time and effort spent on their family life. The study of shared residence (Skjørten, Barlindhaug og Lidén 2007)is based on a survey including 1 000 parents, with a response rate on 55. Children´s experiences are exposed through qualitative interviews with 42 children aged 8 to 18.