Divorce Law should not benefit women that much
Posted by tiffany613 on February 19, 2007
To read the original article: Divorce – Do women win too much?
My opinion:
An article in last week’s New Statesman magazine [1] asked whether women in England are reaping bountifully from failed marriages. Citing recent cases, the writer answered in the affirmative, having come to the conclusion that for divorcees, England is now seen as the most generous nation in Europe.
These ‘women-friendly’ divorce rules have also given fillip to the phenomenon of ‘divorce tourism’, a practice whereby disgruntled spouses from across Europe flock England to file divorce cases.
This development is worrisome and the intervention of the European Union, which is planning to streamline divorce rules in the continent, is most welcome. The new law, which is expected to come into force early, next year, will hopefully mitigate the negative social impact of the prevailing divorce law.
There is nothing wrong in ensuring that a woman gets something out of a failed marriage, particularly if she is in custody of the children and needs money for their upkeep. But to strip a man of all his wealth, even those acquired before the marriage, smacks of injustice. Even more ridiculous is the fact that the divorce rules make it possible for estranged wives not only to lay claim to future earnings, but also life-long support by their former husbands.
This flies in the face of feminism and the much-touted principle of equal opportunities between women and men, and could promote indolence among the womenfolk.
But most importantly, such rules give fillip to divorce. Little wonder that most marriages in England break down even before they are contracted. It seems many English women now see divorce as the quickest means to wealth and therefore view marriage from a purely business perspective.
