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The Divorce Revolution, by Lenore Weitzman
Free Press / Macmillan 1985, 504 pages
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The buzz:
One of the few books in the field that could actually be called
"important," this book shattered the myth that no-fault divorce was good for both
men and women. She showed, with serious research and statistics, that women tended
to do worse after the no-fault divorce than men. Judges
and legislatures listened, and although the problems she describes still exist, laws
and courts have changed to try to alleviate them.
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The author:
The author was at the time of publication an associate professor of sociology at Harvard. When
the research was being done, she was teaching at Stanford and the University of California at Berkeley.
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Topics covered:
- The history of no-fault divorce.
- The nature of marital property
- Why "equal division" of property is really unequal.
- Alimony awards in decline, and why.
- How the law fails young mothers, older housewives, and women in transition.
- The trend toward joint custody.
- Child support, "the national disgrace."
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Difficulty:
Moderately difficult.
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Sidenotes:
The author spent ten years working on and researching this book.
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Key insight:
When the smoke clears from a no-fault divorce, the women are impoverished,
and taking care of the children, while the men, with the benefit of their educations and an absence
of responsibilities, can actually do better financially.
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Read if:
You want to understand how the system got this way.
Email this page on to a friend.
Disclaimer: We are not giving legal advice. No warranties. We disclaim all legal liability. More...
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