Is There a Democratization of Joint Physical Custody? Evidence From Europe

Highlights

Joint physical custody remains strongly stratified by education, even in European countries where JPC is widespread. Medium-educated parents catch up with highly educated parents where JPC prevalence is high. Low-educated parents remain less likely to use JPC, regardless of its prevalence across countries. JPC use with young children remains lower, even in countries where shared care is widespread. Flexible forms of JPC (unequal share) are more common in low-prevalence countries.