Reform of child custody law has been a controversial topic in Canada since the mid-1980s. Within her book Susan Boyd argues that debates over child custody issues are rooted in gender-based dynamics within the family and society. She examines how custody law has evolved over the past twocenturies, with a focus on the relationship between the law and gender relations-in particular, the power relations between women and men in the heterosexual family; the dominant ideologies about motherhood, fatherhood, and family; and the differential value attributed to men's and women's work, inboth private and public spheres. Overall, this essential text questions the extent to which reform of child custody law on its own can lead to effective social transformation of parenting.

Susan B. Boyd is a professor and holds the Chair in Feminist Legal Studies in the Faculty of Law at the University of British Columbia.

Susan B. Boyd's profile page

An important contribution to academic and professional analysis and debates surrounding the nature and historic evolution of child custody and access law in Canada ... timely and pertinent. Linda Neilson, University of New Brunswick

Child Custody, Law, and Women's Work undoubtedly represents an important addition to family law scholarship on child custody; however, its importance extends well beyond this field. Indeed, it would be a shame if the book's readership were limited to scholars interested in family law orfeminist scholarship since it has a great deal to offer to readers interested in the complex relationship between law and society more generally. Jo-Anne Pickel, Faculty of Law, University of Toronto in Canadian Journal of Law and Society (2003, Vol. 18, no. 2)