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Across Europe, increasing numbers of children are commuting between the homes of their mother and father after parental divorce. Belgium provides an excellent context to study this phenomenon because divorce rates are among the highest in Europe and the legal system has recommended joint physical custody as the preferred post-divorce residential model since 2006. This dissertation consists of seven studies involved with measuring, defining and evaluating the consequences of joint physical custody in Flanders. Two data sources are used. The multi-actor study ‘Divorce in Flanders’ provides information on more than 2000 divorced couples and 700 of their children. The ‘Leuvens Adolescenten- en Gezinnenonderzoek’ provides information on 1500 adolescents with divorced or separated parents attending secondary schools. Initially, a new instrument for measuring residential arrangements of children was proposed and validated: the residential calendar. According to prior research, joint physical custody seemed beneficial for children. However, our evidence suggests that the positive association between joint physical custody and child outcomes was partially due to selection effects. After the implementation of the legal changes, joint custody couples are more likely to be in conflict and less likely to have high socio-economic standing than before the legal changes occurred. The well-being of children in joint physical custody is similar to that of children in other custody arrangements. However, under certain circumstances (high conflict, worse parent-child relationships) joint physical custody can become negatively related to child wellbeing. Our findings are in line with the hypothesis that the specific demands of joint physical custody arrangements can interfere with the nature of conscientious adolescents: being organised, ordered, and planful. These results demonstrate the need for attending to the individual characteristics of the child when settling post-divorce residential arrangements.The shift towards shared care after divorce has both positive and negative effects for parents. Gender neutral parenting arrangements have given fathers the opportunity to become more involved in their children’s lives, but the level of difficult communication with their children has increased. Joint physical custody mothers have a less close bond with their children than sole custody mothers, but have a more active social life, which enhances their general well-being. New normative frameworks and more gender neutral parenting laws have resulted in the rise of joint physical custody arrangements in Flanders over the past decades. Therefore, balancing the interests of mothers, fathers and children has become more difficult than ever, generating a considerable number of policy issues for the future.