Parental Alienation: Power, Gender, Politics and Policy in Australia and Internationally

Stan Korosi

doi:10.31124/advance.175681511.10998592/v1

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Parental Alienation: Power, Gender, Politics and Policy in Australia and Internationally

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Parental Alienation: Power, Gender, Politics and Policy in Australia and Internationally

Stan Korosi

Advance: a SAGE preprints community , Vol.2 September 2025

Sage Publishing

2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.31124/advance.175681511.10998592/v1

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Abstract

Gender, policy and administration

Social determinants of health

Sociology of family and relationships

Public health (excl. specific population health)

parental alienation

social policy

politics

public health

family violence

domestic violence

social alienation

gender

sociology of families

Parental alienation (PA) is a contested yet increasingly recognised phenomenon at the cutting edge of contemporary families. The PA field straddles the intersection of family dynamics, power, gender and politics. Defined by behaviours one parent adopts to manipulate a child into rejecting the other parent without reasonable grounds, PA is a form of social and psychological abuse and coercive control with significant public health implications. Critics often dismiss PA as a pseudo-concept or patriarchal discourse. Yet, according to extensive research, alienating behaviours are agnostic to gender. They result in adverse outcomes for children regardless of the family member's gender. This article situates PA as a form of "discursive violence" that restructures family relationships and undermines children's needs and rights. It traces the evolution of the concept from Gardner's "Parental Alienation Syndrome" to contemporary nonmedicalised approaches, noting how ideological disputes-particularly with gendered theories of domestic violence-shape its reception in law and policy. Globally, some jurisdictions have policies and laws to address PA, while others, such as Australia, maintain ambivalence, influenced by ideological contestation. Drawing on international experience and policy debates, the article argues for recognising PA as a gender agnostic form of relational abuse requiring integrated evidence-based policy and legal reform. It concludes that policy should adopt a childcentred, needs and rights-based framework that acknowledges the harms of alienation, balances protection from abuse with maintaining parental relationships. It should resist

Details

Title: Parental Alienation: Power, Gender, Politics and Policy in Australia and Internationally
Authors: Stan Korosi (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast
Publication details: Advance: a SAGE preprints community , Vol.2 September 2025
Publisher: Sage Publishing
Date published: 2025
DOI: 10.31124/advance.175681511.10998592/v1
Copyright note: CC-BY: This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use. Credit must be given to the creator.
Organisation Unit: Academic Support Unit; School of Law and Society
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991155035702621
Output Type: Preprint

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