This article describes the formation of a family rights project in
Limerick. It explains how the project came to focus on a rather
narrow legalistic definition of parental rights, typified as a \u27male
agenda\u27. It explores the implications of this agenda for the
attraction of parents to the project. Finally and more broadly, it
raises questions about the relevance of partnership activities
between statutory and community agencies, given the gendered
nature of organisations (Acker, 1990) and the likely dominance of
what is referred to as the \u27male agenda\u27. The paper draws on
documentary material concerning the establishment of the group,
together with group evaluation material and qualitative data from
individual semi-structured interviews with all the members of
what came to be referred to as the Core Group in the family rights
projec