The Ties That Bind (Routledge Revivals): Law, Marriage and the Reproduction of Patriarchal Relations

First published in 1984, this book made an important and timely contribution to the development of the idea that the law is a major source of women’s oppression. Based on research of the theory and practice of family law, it examines the way in which private law operates to sustain, reproduce and reinforce the dependence of women in the most private of spheres, namely marriage.

The author focuses on the point of break down or divorce, where the economic vulnerability of women caused by marri...