Regulating divorce (Oxford socio-legal studies)

Proposals for reforming the law of divorce and of child maintenance, coming in the wake of the substantial changes in the law relating to children contained in the Children Act 1989, have ensured that the state's policies towards family relationships are a significant issue. "Regulating Divorce" describes and analyzes official ideologies of marriage and divorce in England through an examination of established law, policy documents and judicial practice. It places recent proposals for divorce reform within an historical perspective, provides a critical evaluation of the basis on which financial arrangements are made upon divorce and explores the weight allocated to the rights and interests of children by the law. Drawing on recent research and international experience, "Regulating Divorce" provides a broad perspective on the evolution of divorce law in the UK, an evaluation of the present law and a basis for future debates on proposed reforms.