This thesis begins with an analysis of the situation of people without declared paternity to examine the social and psychological aspects of paternal absence in family life. The absence of paternal reference in a large number of records stems from gender discrimination to the detriment of women, regarding the reliability of their testimony about the child s parenting. The importance of the family as the locus of primary socialization implies an adjustment between the family structure and that of society, one tending to reflect the other. Western societies have developed a patriarchal family, and the historical roots of this are examined, as well as the reaction to gender inequalities it entails. The main debates within the feminist movement are synthesized, based on the concept of gender, against the backdrop of the historically critical perspective of patriarchal theorists. This approach encompasses a plurality of strands, including Marxist feminist concepts and psychoanalytic theories of post-structuralism, as well as the Anglo-Saxon matrix. The thesis concludes by examining the concepts of human rights and human dignity, demonstrating the legal and civilizational unfeasibility of gender discrimination, with special emphasis on family and parenting issues.