The Evolution of Births Outside of Marriage, Paternal Recognition and Children’s Rights in Brazil

This study approaches the evolution of the number of births outside of marriage in Brazil over the course of the last decade and the legal debate resulting from such a disassociation between reproduction and marriage from the perspective of children’s rights. According to data from the Live Birth Information System (SINASC), births from consensual unions and single mothers together increased from 56.16% in 2000 to 65.78% in 2009. Some estimates suggest that between a quarter and a fifth of children born outside marriage end up not being legally recognized by their biological fathers, and are solely registered by their mothers. In 2010 the National Justice Council launched the Pai Presente [“Present Fathers”] project to reduce the number of people with undetermined paternity in Brazil. Our goal is to discuss this reality in light of perceptions on family, children’s rights and the gender relations at the heart of “Present Fathers”.