An incisive exploration of representations in law of male sexuality, authority, paternity and men's violence in the family. This book is of central importance to our understanding of the social and political dimension of masculinity.

Introduction : feminism and families plus ca change? / by Alison Diduck and Katherine O'Donovan -- Family friendly? : rights, responsibilities, and relationship recognition / by Carl Stychin -- Shared households : a new paradigm for thinking about the reform of domestic property relations / by Anne Bottomley and Simone Wong -- What is a parent? / by Emily Jackson -- Parents in law : subjective impacts and status implications around the use of licensed donor insemination / by Caroline Jones -- After birth : decisions about becoming a mother / by Katherine O'Donovan and Jill Marshall -- The ethic of justice strikes back : changing narratives of fatherhood / by Carol Smart -- Domestic violence, men's groups and the equivalence argument / by Felicity Kaganas -- Feminist perspectives on youth justice / by Christine Piper -- Working towards credit for parenting : a consideration of tax credits as a feminist enterprise / by Ann Mumford -- The branch on which we sit: multiculturalism, minority women, and family law / by Maleiha Malik -- Feminist legal studies and the subject(s) of men : questions of text, terrain, and context in the politics of family law and gender / by Richard Collier.

Papers from the 10th International Society of Family Law Conference covering the resolution of disputes and current pressures on family law.

Focusing on moral, social and legal responsibilities as opposed to rights or obligations, this volume explores the concept of responsibility in family life, law and practice. Divided into four parts, the study considers the nature of family responsibility; constructions of children's responsibilities; shifting conceptions of family responsibilities; and family, responsibility and the law. The collection brings together leading experts from the disciplines of sociology, socio-legal studies and law to discuss responsibilities prior to birth, responsibilities for children, as well as responsibilities of children and of the state towards family members. The volume informs and challenges the developing conceptualization of responsibilities which arise in interdependent, intimate and caring relationships and their legal regulation. It will be of great interest to researchers and practitioners working in this complex field.

This book argues that the legal understanding of 'family' in the UK continues to be underpinned by the idealised image of the 'nuclear family', premised upon the traditional, gendered roles of 'father as breadwinner' and 'mother as homemaker'. This examination of the law's model of the 'family' has been prompted by the substantial reforms that have taken place in family law in recent decades, and the significant evolution in social attitudes and familial practices that has occurred in parallel. Throughout the book, the influence of the nuclear family is noted in several different contexts: various specific legal definitions of 'family', the legal regulation of adult, conjugal relationships, the attribution of legal parenthood and the construction of the role of the 'parent' within the law. Ultimately, this book argues that while these reforms have resulted in additional categories of relationship coming to be situated within the nuclear family model, there has not, as yet, been any fundamental alteration of the underpinning concept of the nuclear family itself. This book concludes by considering the possibilities offered beyond the 'nuclear family'; exploring the reconceptualising of the legal understanding of 'family' around alternative and potentially 'radical' models of 'family'.

This book presents the first published comprehensive overview and critical assessment of the relationship between law and masculinities. It provides a general introduction to the subject whilst engaging with the difficult question of what it means to speak of the masculinity of law in the first place.

Whilst there many publications dealing with children from both legal and theoretical perspectives, the child is persistently represented and discussed as a gender neutral or pre-gender and pre-sexual object. This text uses feminist perspectives to explore more rarely addressed aspects of childhood.

This innovative and thought-provoking Research Handbook explores not only current debates in the area of gender, sexuality and the law but also points the way for future socio-legal research and scholarship. It presents wide-ranging insights and debates from across the globe, including Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Australia, with contributions from leading scholars and activists alongside exciting emergent voices.

Written by leading experts in the area, this volume investigates the ways in which emerging masculinities theory in law could inform feminist legal theory in particular and law in general. As many of the chapters in this collection illustrate, law is constantly in a dynamic interaction with masculinities: it has both influenced existing masculinities and has been influenced by those masculinities. The contributions focus feminist and critical theoretical attention on masculinities and consider the implications of masculinities theory for law and legal theory.

Changing Family Values offers a comprehensive introduction to contemporary debates and new research surrounding the family. It explores how we define traditional family values and how these values are perceived as being underthreat in contemporary society. Ranging across politics, social policy, law and sociology, the contributors focus on the diverse realities of contemporary family life. Issues covered include: * the recent backlash against single mothers * lesbian and gay families and the law * men's changing roles within the family * the future of the nuclear family. This book is ideal for courses covering the family, a central topic in sociology and women's studies.