The high incidence of equal child custody arrangements in Denmark over the past decade led the European nation to pass the Parental Responsibility Act so that this practice would become the law, according to the Copenhagen Post.

As a result of this legislation, unless parents agree to a different arrangement, the state favors and enforces equal custody for these families. The law makes the alternating seven-day periods the standard practice in the country, the news source reported.

According to research done by the Danish National Center for Social Research (SFI), younger children are able to adjust to the arrangement and the home situation is more stable with this steady schedule.

“If the parents are able to create continuity between the two different home situations, it can work well,” Mai Heide Ottosen, a researcher for SFI, told reporters.

Children felt closer with both parents in the “7/7” situation, and if the arrangement doesn’t work then the parents can restructure the relationship and custody details, according to the Post.

The SFI is a research center in Denmark that helps to disseminate findings on key social issues and commissioned projects.

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