Co-parenting styles as family practices after parental break up in Italy

Drawing on Morgan’s conceptualization of family practices, the paper investigates the relationship
between joint child custody arrangements and everyday post-separation co-parenting activities and
routines. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 40 separated mothers and fathers in Italy, 14
of whom are former partners. Interviewees are mainly dual-earner, heterosexual, and have children
under 10 years old.
From a life course perspective, post-separation practices highlight the relevance of ongoing
everyday transformations and agency along post-separation life trajectories and events such as the
presence of new partners or changes in working conditions. Post-separation co-parenting differ in
two main dimensions: how activities and responsibilities for the child(ren) are shared, and co-
parenting practices. On this basis, three main post-separation parenting styles can be identified:
“parallel”, “cooperative” and “competitive” co-parenting. Though the three styles can be
distinguished at the analytical level, they tend to lie along a continuum. They may change over time
or even become more similar in long-lasting post-separation parenting practices. Gendered
expectations around the meanings and sharing of parental responsibilities tend to persist and vary
according to these co-parenting styles only to some extent. The results are of interest in a context
such as Italy, with persistent gender asymmetries. These findings suggest theoretical implications
for the creative role of the family practices framework in going beyond “good divorce” functionalist
approaches.