Parental Alienation and Domestic Violence: A Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis of Key Informants’ Accounts in Family Court, Child Protection and Domestic Violence Services in Ontario

Abstract

This major research paper, which is a part of a broader research project led by Professor Simon Lapierre, investigates how professionals affiliated with family law, child protection services and domestic violence services in Ontario mobilise the concept of parental alienation, and what the implications are for women and children who have experienced domestic violence. In order to do this, individual interviews were conducted with 18 key informants affiliated with the above-mentioned sectors, including lawyers, social workers, judges, and researchers. Data analysis was performed using Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis (FCDA). Overall, the research results show that current discourses on ‘parental alienation’ are still largely influenced by Richard Gardner’s work on ‘parental alienation syndrome’, even when professionals use different words to describe these situations. Furthermore, the results demonstrate that due to a lack of specialized knowledge on domestic violence in the family court system and child protection services, women are accused of ‘parental alienation’ when speaking to experiences of abuse. The results also reveal that professionals in these sectors tend to dismiss children’s experiences of domestic violence as well as their views and preferences on the basis that they have been ‘alienated’ and their experiences and views are influenced. This major research paper concludes with implications for policies and practices, and for future research in this area.