Silent Injustice: Women's Experiences of the Family Court


Tue 30 Oct 2012

Researchers from the University of Auckland Nicola Gavey, Vivienne Elizabeth and Julia Tolmie spoke at a seminar on women's experiences of the ...

Researchers from the University of Auckland Nicola Gavey, Vivienne Elizabeth and Julia Tolmie spoke at a seminar on women's experiences of the Family Court on 7 September 2012. The seminar was organised by Women's Health Action and the Auckland Women's Centre. Family Lawyer Catriona MacLennan writes about the seminar in LawNews here.

Dr Elizabeth has recorded a podcast of an article published in Violence Against Women in April 2012, The Gendered Dynamics of Power in Disputes Over the Postseparation Care of Children. Access the podcast here. Read the abstract of the article here.

Published articles from the research study are listed below. The researchers' submission on the Family Court Review is also available.

Elizabeth, V. (2015). From domestic violence to coercive control: Towards the recognition of oppressive intimacy in the family court. New Zealand Sociology, 30(2): 26-43.

Chadwick, N. et al (2014). The portrayal of post-separation parents in the speeches of the Principal Family Court Judge of New Zealand. Women's Studies Journal, 28(1):4-17.

Elizabeth, V., Tolmie, J., Gavey, N. (2013). ‘I could only work every second Sunday’: The role of separated fathers in the labour market participation of separated mothers when they’re in dispute over care and contact arrangements. Women’s Studies Journal, 27(2), December: 2-13.

Elizabeth, V., Gavey, N., & Tolmie, J. (2012). He's just swapped his fists for the system: The governance of gender through custody law. Gender & Society, 26(2), 239-260.

Elizabeth, V., Gavey, N., & Tolmie, J. (2012). The gendered dynamics of power in disputes over the post-separation care of children. Violence Against Women, 18(4), 459-481.

Elizabeth, V., Gavey, N., & Tolmie, J. (2011). Gendered Dynamics in Family Court Counselling. New Zealand Journal of Counselling, 31(2), 1-20.

Elizabeth, V., Gavey, N., & Tolmie, J. (2010). Between a rock and hard place: Resident mothers talk about the moral dilemmas they face. Feminist Legal Studies, 18(3), 253-274.

Tolmie, J., Elizabeth, V., & Gavey, N. (2010). Is 50:50 shared care a desirable norm following family separation?  Raising questions about current family law practices in New Zealand. New Zealand Universities Law Review, 24(1), 136-166.

Tolmie, J., Elizabeth, V., & Gavey, N. (2010). Imposing gender neutral standards on a gendered world: Parenting arrangements in family law post-separation. Canterbury Law Review, 16(2), 302-330.

Tolmie, J., Elizabeth, V., & Gavey, N. (2009). Raising questions about the importance of father contact within current family law practices. New Zealand Law Review(4), 659-694.

The researchers' Submission in response to the review of the Family Court (March 2012) is available here.