Spousal maintenance in a time of change outlined by Hazel Wright
In its research note “Counting the Cost of Family Failure—2015 Update” the Relationships Foundation put the cost to the taxpayer of family breakdown at £47bn, ie £1,546 each year to every taxpayer. The implication is that this is too much and that steps should be taken to reduce the financial impact on those who pay their taxes but do not claim state support.
This article takes a look at how we got to where we are in terms of expecting self-sufficiency of adults whose personal relationships beak down, and what is changing about that.
Swinging sixties
After the swinging sixties, a raft of reforming legislation was passed aimed at addressing how people behave towards each other, both at work and in their relationships with each other and with strangers. Since its roots in 1970 (and see other reforming legislation at the same time such as the Equal Pay Act 1970, the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 and the Race Relations Act 1976), the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 has received very many judicial
