The Custody Revolution: Beyond Fathers’ Rights and Mothers’ Rights (transcript of speech)

This speech inspired a standing ovation from the audience at the 1993 national conference of the Children’s Rights Council. It begins by describing the context in which the Texas Custody Research Project originated, and then recaps the project’s main findings, including “the gender connection.”

Dr. Warshak discusses the type of fundamental changes he advocates and, in a more personal vein, describes his pre-publication worries about how The Custody Revolution would be received and compares this to the astonishing range of responses he actually received from colleagues and the public.He stresses the importance of finding an effective strategy for promoting new ideas and gives examples of how psychological theory and research are misused in the defense of misguided custody policies.

Dr. Warshak then argues against the concept of the “primary parent” and concludes with a unique discussion of the link between the popularity of Batman and the prevalence of father absence in our culture.

transcript of speech
This item is included in the Child Custody & Divorce Collection.