Engagement and participation of men in mediation

Abstract

Following the Family Law Amendment (Shared Care Responsibility) Act 2006, Family Relationship Centres (FRCs) were established to offer a range of programs to families, including mediation, following separation. We carried out a qualitative study funded by a non-government organisation which investigated the effectiveness of Parenting Plans. Twenty-three (12 females and 11 males) separated/divorced parents participated in semi-structured interviews conducted in the Perth metropolitan area and a regional area in Western Australia. The focus of this paper is a critical case analysis of one man's experience of the mediation process. Our aim is to contribute to this developing issue through the inclusion of some of the challenges for men in engaging in the mediation process more actively. These include: an examination of the influence of socio-political factors on mediation services; some men's reluctance in seeking help; and recent understandings of men's grief following separation that can have direct application to participation in mediation. We maintain that that this knowledge can inform mediators’ education and training through supervision. At a broader level, the inclusion of this critical case analysis and its theoretical explanations has the potential, in some cases, to contribute to more meaningful post-separation relationships for all family members.

Keywords:

• men
• separation
• divorce
• grief
• mediation
• gender differences