Genderové aspekty neúspěchu českých návrhů zákonů upravujících náhradní výživné na dítě
The Gender Aspects of the Failure to Adopt a Law on State Advances on Child Maintenance Payments in the Czech Republic

Summary/Abstract: Many European states, including the Czech Republic, face a high default rate on child support payments. In combination with a high divorce rate and, in some states, ineffective law enforcement, this has become a dire problem and one that has gender repercussions. In an effort to solve this situation, almost half of the EU member states have adopted a system of state advances on child maintenance. The Czech Republic is not one of them. The article discusses why all three attempts to pass such a law have failed in the Czech Republic. Is there an alternative measure fulfilling this role? Have the proposed bills been deficient in some way? Or is something else obstructing the adoption of a bill? The authors argue that, while the proposed bills could be criticised for minor technical or conceptual imperfections, the parliamentary debates on these bills indicate a more deeply rooted opposition. Manifestations of three main positions are identified: economic liberalism, social conservatism, and gender stereotypes.

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