Divorce

I'm still ploughing on through Melanie Phillips' The Sex-Change Society: Feminised Britain and the Neutered Male - whose cover I think is really dreadful so I will not reproduce it again here. She seems to blame all the ills of society on feminism. If women hadn't wanted to fulfil themselves and achieve their ambitions society would be a lot better off, men would be happy and children wouldn't be running wild. Women should go back to being selfless and self sacrificing and then the crime rate will decrease, all children will do well at school and men will go back to being fathers again.

So women have to be sacrificed on the altar of society? Why? Isn't there another way? She will keep saying we have a no-fault system of divorce - which it isn't. If you want a divorce in anything under 2 years you have to prove adultery, unreasonable behaviour or 2 years separation - all of which are summed up as 'irretrievable breakdown'.

Divorce is no walk in the park and women - contrary to the opinion of this author - do not undertake it because they are bored. More women file divorce petitions than do men - this does not indicate an unwillingness on the part of men to be divorced - if it did there would be more contested divorces or unilateral divorces where the other party does not consent - which take longer and need a greater period of separation than the 2 years separation mentioned above.

Divorce courts lean over backwards to favour women? Only if they have custody of the children - otherwise it is pretty equal treatment. Courts have to make sure the children are fairly treated. Why should they live in squalid surroundings while the father lives it up in a posh area of town? I exaggerate but many men think women should just walk away with the children and leave them with all the assets. Why? The children are the responsibility of both parents and both parents should contribute to the costs of their upbringing. It isn't always the case that the man made all the money and the woman sat around and did nothing - in spite of what she seems to be saying.