Betydelser av barns ålder i familjerättslige utredningstexter

Resumé

In gender studies, children are rarely formulated as the Other. Age in general, and the age category of children in particular, are not included in central discussions within gender studies. In this article meanings of age are examined though an analysis of how the principle of the best interests of the child is used in family law reports concerning disputes about custody, contact and residence where there is information about violence by the father. The hindrance of children to gain a voice consists of norms and ideas about what children are and what children need. Children are constructed as representing their chronological age and/or a specific age group while adults present themselves as representing the general "human being". In addition, children's age can function as something that both make them particularly credible - and as something that disqualify them