ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the expanding view as to who is a “parent” in family law matters. This is explored within the context of the massive changes in our society, with shifts in who are the people raising children and how can children's “best interests” be protected when parents separate and divorce. Two predominant areas of family evolution have led to increasingly complex phenomena and have impacted a push towards revision of the laws that affect families – these include the emergence into the open of same-sex parents that has led a debate as to who is a parent, with definitions including legal standing, psychological experiences of the children, how do we manage non-biological parentage? The second area is the increasing open use of assisted reproductive technology which has created a new range of biological and psychological relationships. From both of these areas the question arises – how many parents might a child have? The changes in the society, changes in social science research and accompanying changes in the law with case examples will explore this area.
