Divorce and Marriage Archives

Iraqi Girl-Marriage Bill Called Vote-Getting Ploy

By Hajer Naili ● Uncategorized ● April 17, 2014

The draft law has made international headlines, mainly for provisions allowing girls as young as 9 and boys as young as 15 to marry. But when questioned on the likelihood that the text will be passed, one expert said: “I would say it is less than 50 percent.”

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Bride Spurns Veil, Redefines Nuptials

By Holly Hughes ● Arts & Culture ● April 7, 2012

In the anthology, “Here Come the Brides! Reflections on Lesbian Love And Marriage,” co-editors Audrey Bilger and Michele Kort offer an array of intimate insights. In this excerpt, performer Holly Hughes finds it’s easier to get married on Facebook.

In Lebanon, Violence Between the Sheets Is Legal

By Paola Salwan Daher ● Crime & Law ● December 8, 2011

Lebanon’s parliament recently dropped a bill to criminalize violence against women. Paola Salwan Daher says activists have pursued the matter as part of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence that culminates on Dec. 10, Human Rights Day.

Marriage Equality Spreads Pride in New York

By Krystie Lee Yandoli ● Arts & Culture ● July 1, 2011

New York’s legalization of same-sex marriage set off euphoric celebrations this week. It also offers a chance to showcase the political backing of those in the 18-34 age bracket.

Lebanon Protesters Take Aim at Family Law System

By Iman Azzi ● Politics ● March 24, 2011

In the third and latest major demonstration in Lebanon, protesters of the sectarian or “confessional” system took special aim at religious family laws that prevent civil marriages and discriminate against women in various ways.

Indian Widows Swell Temple-Filled Town

By Swapna Majumdar ● Crime & Law ● December 1, 2010

The Indian temple town of Vrindavan continues to attract widows facing the traditional ostracism of village life. Many say they prefer to live on less than $1 a day than to go back to the families who cast them out.

Same-Sex Boston Case Opens Up a Legal Grab Bag

By Por Alison Bowen ● Arts & Culture ● July 21, 2010

The decision by a Boston judge about the unconstitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act is potentially monumental. Alexis Sclamberg explains why social progressives and Tea Party activists alike are tensely watching for word of an appeal.

Marriage Loses Ground as Anti-Poverty Panacea

By Julia Marsh ● Employment ● July 6, 2010

The Bush administration pushed marriage as a panacea for fighting poverty but a recent government study confirms the view of skeptics who say money problems must be solved first, since they destroy and destabilize relationships.

Nepal’s Widows Reject Govt’s Remarriage Proposal

By Danielle Shapiro ● Arts & Culture ● December 25, 2009

Nepali widows and their advocates are pushing back at a government proposal to pay engaged couples for a widow’s remarriage. Not only is the law like a new form of dowry, they say, many widows feel better off staying single and earning their own incomes.

African Women Snared by Two Legal Systems

By Nicole Itano ● Crime & Law ● October 2, 2009

Ten years after the U.N. called for the strengthening of women’s legal rights around the globe, African women’s rights are still often caught in the tangle between traditional and civil laws. The first of a seven-part series on the Beijing Platform.