American family law makes two key assumptions: first, that the civil state possesses sole authority over marriage and divorce; and second, that the civil law may contain only one regulatory regime for such matters. These assumptions run counter to the multicultural and religiously plural nature of our society. This book elaborates how those assumptions are descriptively incorrect, and it begins an important conversation about whether more pluralism in family law is normatively desirable. For example, may couples rely upon religious tribunals (Jewish, Muslim, or otherwise) to decide family law disputes? May couples opt into stricter divorce rules, either through premarital contracts or 'covenant marriages'? How should the state respond? Intentionally interdisciplinary and international in scope, this volume contains contributions from fourteen leading scholars. The authors address the provocative question of whether the state must consider sharing its jurisdictional authority with other groups in family law.

A comprehensive look at how rabbinical courts control Israeli marriage and divorce

The third edition of Marriage and Divorce Law in South Carolina: A Layperson's Guide provides in concise language a detailed and authoritative resource on current laws governing everything from marriage eligibility to the divorce process. Designed to serve as a complement to professional legal services, this sourcebook presents complex information in a straightforward, understandable format, addressing a broad range of frequent questions for legal clients. Roy T. Stuckey considers marital law issues such as the requirements for establishing a statutory or common-law marriage and the legal significance of marriage. He addresses the responsibility of a married couple to their children in the eyes of the law, including the children's care, education, and welfare. On matters of divorce, the volume not only reviews practical issues of separation, property division, alimony, and child support but covers the psychological stages of divorce as well. Much of the legal mystery about the divorce process is also unraveled, including how to find, hire, and work with a divorce lawyer and how to maneuver successfully through family court. A section on related issues that frequently arise when a marriage ends is also included. Marriage and Divorce Law in South Carolina serves as a valuable resource for learning about the legal processes involved in the state's family laws and is the only such volume available to nonlawyers.

Packed with research, insights, and illuminating (and often funny) examples from Paris’s own divorce experience, this book is a “practical and reassuring guide to parting well.” —Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project Engaging and revolutionary, filled with wit, searing honesty, and intimate interviews, Splitopia is a call for a saner, more civil kind of divorce. As Paris reveals, divorce has improved dramatically in recent decades due to changes in laws and family structures, advances in psychology and child development, and a new understanding of the importance of the father. Positive psychology expert and author of Happier, Tal Ben-Shahar, writes that Paris’s “personal insights, stories, and research” create “a smart and interesting guide that can be extremely helpful for those going through divorce.” Reading this book can be the difference between an expensive, ugly battle and a decent divorce, between children sucked under by conflict or happy, healthy kids. This is “a compelling case that it’s high time for a new definition of Happily Ever After—for everyone” (Brigid Schulte, author of Overwhelmed: Work, Love, and Play When No One Has the Time).

Marriage rituals and divorce procedures have varied widely over time and across cultures. The History of Marriage and Divorce explores the evolution of these two institutions, from our early hunter-gatherer ancestors through antiquity and the middle ages up to modern times. In this book, collaborative attorney and former psychology professor Harry L. Munsinger explains the legal, economic, religious, evolutionary, and psychological issues involved in mating and divorcing. This book will give readers insight into why humans marry, divorce, and remarry with such irrational abandon. The reader will discover that the tendency to marry and divorce are partly inherited and the personal and genetic appeal of serial monogamy.