Capital económico dos filhos e sua não participação no divórcio dos pais na Cidade de Maputo

Abstract

Divorce is a phenomenon that is becoming widespread in contemporary societies, raising interest in scientific studies that seek to explore issues such as the involvement of children in these processes. With this work we make a reflection on social factors that contribute to the non participation of children in the parents divorce . Pierre Bourdieu's field theory has allowed us to adopt the argument that the social capital of children is, among others, a factor that compels parents to avoid their children's participation in the course of their divorce. We opted for a qualitative research, privileging the description that the parents and children make of their experience linked to the divorce of the former. The semi-structured interview allowed an in-depth survey of data, capturing the dimensions of the reality of the interviewees that were relevant to the understanding of the influence of economic capital on the non-participation of children in the parents divorce. The interpretation we make of the data shows that divorce occurs in families within which parents and children experience a harmonious affective relationship, although conflicting situations occur. The position of parental authorities makes them have the power to filter the information to be transmitted to the children, reserving the power of decision making on the issues considered relevant. Throughout the process of divorce, situations include children's inclusion through the sharing of information, as well as exclusion. The participation of the children is the initiative of the parents influenced by the economic capital of those and the social representations they have about them. Non- participation is also influenced by the economic capital and also the differential paternity that parents enjoy in front of their children, and their exclusion is a strategy to balance disputes over the divorce. We conclude that economic capital is an influential fact although it is not the only one, which reveals the complexity of divorce.