Full Description
First published in 1985, Women-in-Law is a collection of essays examining the complex interactions of law, sexuality, and the family. It explores the ways in which legal ideology and practice affect women and looks at issues such as child custody, domestic violence and prostitution in the light of new research. The contributors review the history of feminist involvement with the law and analyse the law's fundamental failure to improve the status of women. They also assess strategies for change in view of the current backlash against women's rights and the traditional role of law in the subjugation of women. This book will be of interest to students of law, political science, sociology, gender studies, and sexuality studies.
Contents
Contributors Abbreviations 1. Locating law: a discussion of the place of law in feminist politics 2. In the name of protection: the policing of women in the First World War 3. Legal subjects and sexual objects: ideology, law, and female sexuality 4. Battered women and the law: the limits of the legislation 5. Childcare and the growth of power: the status of mothers in child custody disputes 6. Documenting the defendant: placing women in social inquiry reports 7. Legal recognition of a woman's right to choose 8. What is happening to family law? A feminist critique of conciliation 9. Campaigning around family law: politics and practice Bibliography Name index Subject index
