Intérêt de l'enfant et paiement des pensions alimentaires après divorce en Belgique

This paper is a study of parental behaviour, and more particularly that of fathers, after divorce, in which findings from a national survey carried out in Belgium are used. The payment of alimony is considered to be not solely a financial solution, but as an indication of a certain acceptance of parental responsibility which is rooted in the marriage and family background that existed before the couple separated. Legal practise, which generally gives care and control of the child to the mother, also results in the continuity of the traditional type of the division of labour between the parents after their marriage has broken down. This supports the moral principle of a privileged mother-child relationship, but may also lead to a deterioration in the living standards of the mothers' households.