Forjando boas mães : alienação parental e a reprodução de violência de gênero nos discursos políticos do Congresso Nacional

Abstract

More than a space for socialization of individuals, the family establishes roles to be exercised by men and women, fathers and mothers, whose conduct must be based on socially instituted and enforced rules, whether through social interaction or through legal order. In both cases, the established norms are neither impartial nor egalitarian: the hierarchy and subordination established, among other factors, by the sexual division of labor, is still a burden imposed on women. And the laws will determine what a family is and what the role of its members should be, also based on this social context. Legislation that will serve to indicate how men and women should act and also what sanctions should be imposed in the event of deviations. Especially in the case of family conflicts, which end up being “mediated” by the Brazilian Legislature, as is the case with the Parental Alienation Law, created based on a concept that is itself highly criticized for its sexist content. The study will show whether (and how) these discussions held in the National Congress by different political actors seek to reframe women as mothers in an eminently patriarchal logic, reproducing a logic of gender violence. To this end, the focus of analysis is the content of the speeches of parliamentarians related to the topic in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate - what they say in their speeches and statements, what their approaches, arguments and positions are. Based on this information, it was possible to understand whether the way the topic is approached varies according to the party to which the parliamentarian belongs and whether or not the arguments mobilized by each of these sides (read left and right) are related to sex and the political spectrum. Thus, it was found that, when it comes to parental alienation, the concern of parliamentarians does not reach a possible unequal treatment of men and women; the focus is the best interests of the child and the role that the mother should play in this regard, whether or not her own rights have been violated. Parental alienation, which is essentially a debate about the normalization of the family after divorce, unites the left and the right in the search for the protection of the child, a mission that falls to the mother - a primary role assigned to women.