A millstone around the neck? stereotypes about wives and myths about divorce

Thompson, Sharon ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2569-856X 2019. A millstone around the neck? stereotypes about wives and myths about divorce. Northern Ireland Legal Quarterly 70 (2)

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Abstract

This article examines the effect of and connection between stereotypes about wives and myths about financial provision on divorce. It is based on an assessment of press reports on Mills v Mills which have fuelled calls for reform of the law of financial provision on divorce, most notably the Divorce (Financial Provision) Bill 2017-2019. It argues that gendered stereotypes about wives (such as ‘alimony drone’, ‘gold-digger’ and ‘meal ticket for life’) inhibit shifts towards substantive equality for women. These gendered stereotypes have not only framed the debate, creating a non-existent problem for reform proposals to solve, but have also affected the way in which individuals form family law agreements, which is important given the current policy emphasis on private ordering. The article concludes by proposing that reflexive engagement with stereotypes about wives should be an important part of judicial reasoning.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Law
Subjects:	K Law > KD England and Wales
Publisher:	Queen's University Belfast, School of Law
ISSN:	0029-3105
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	23 January 2019
Date of Acceptance:	21 January 2019
Last Modified:	03 Dec 2024 15:15
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/118572

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