Vem är mest lämpad att fostra barnen? : En studie i hur sociala nätverk användes i en vårdnadsprocess 1929 – 1930

In the Nordic countries a new and liberal view on marriages came in the mid-1910s. In Sweden a new divorce law, with a no-fault ground proceeded a new marital law in 1920. In the new law both parents had equal rights to the custody of the children. Before this the father automatically got the custody of the children if he wasn’t unfit. From the late 19th century it became more common that the mother got the custody. In this study I have gone through the testimonies in a divorce process, from 1929 to 1932, where the father, the doctor in Strängnäs, had asked for a divorce an also the custody of the two underage children. In this process both parent mobilize their social network and through the study of their testimony we get a picture of a well-educated middle class family’s life and how the contemporary society’s view on the qualities a good mother and father would have. Also if the testimonies had an impact on the decision of the courts. In Strängnäs the Municipal Court, Rådhusrätten, first ruled in favor for the mother and then granted both parents the custody of one child each, a boy and a girl, based on the children’s gender. Both parents appealed to a higher court, Svea hovrätt, which ruled in favor of the mother based on the children’s age and well-being.