Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Families and the Law

  • Chapter
Handbook of Marriage and the Family

Abstract

This chapter traces the origins of the family and the law in the United States, including the movement of marriage from contract (private) to status (state-regulated) relationships and, in the opinion of many social historians, the return to a contractual approach to married and unmarried relationships (Sussman, 1975).

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Annotation. American Law Reports ,3d, 1977, 75 ,1159.

    Google Scholar 

  • Annual editions readings in marriage and the family. Guilford, Conn.: Dushkin Press, 1981.

    Google Scholar 

  • Areen, J. Allocating family assets at divorce. Georgetown University Law Center, 1979.

    Google Scholar 

  • Atkinson, G. Towards a due process perspective in conservatorship proceedings for the aged. Journal of Family Law ,1980, 18 ,1.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beal v. Doe ,432 U.S. 438 (1977).

    Google Scholar 

  • Beck, P. W. [Review of Marital and non–marital contracts: Preventive law for the family]. Family Law Quarterly ,Winter 1982, 15 ,371.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bernard, J. Women, wives, mothers, the future of marriage. Chicago: Aldine, 1975.

    Google Scholar 

  • Besharov, D. J. The legal aspects of reporting known and suspected child abuse and neglect. Villanova Law Review ,1977–1978, 23 ,458.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blackstone, H. Commentaries on the laws of England. New York: Harper Brothers, 1854.

    Google Scholar 

  • Block, M. ,& Sinott, J. The battered elder syndrome: An exploratory study. College Park, Md.: Center on Aging, University of Maryland, 1979.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blumrosen, R. Wage discrimination, job segregation, and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform ,1979, 12 ,3.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bodenheimer, B., Reflections on the future of grounds for divorce. Journal of Family Law ,1968, 8, 185–193.

    Google Scholar 

  • Caban v. Mohammed ,441 U.S. 380 (1979).

    Google Scholar 

  • Califano v. Westcott ,443 U.S. 76 (1979).

    Google Scholar 

  • California Welfare and Institutions Code, Section 12350, Supp. (1976). Relatives Responsibility Statute (repealed).

    Google Scholar 

  • Cantwell, W. P. Man plus woman plus property equals–Pondering the marital equation. Unpublished paper, Denver, Colorado, 1980.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carlson v. Olson ,256 N.W. 2d 249 (1977).

    Google Scholar 

  • Chafe, W. The American woman. London: Oxford University Press, 1972.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chastain, R. M. Introduction, 45 landmark decisions. Family Advocate, Summer 1982, 5 ,32.

    Google Scholar 

  • Child Support and Establishment of Paternity Amendments to Title IV, Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. AY 651 (1975, 1974).

    Google Scholar 

  • Child Welfare League of America, Standards for Foster Family Care, 1959.

    Google Scholar 

  • Christensen, H. T. (Ed.). Handbook of marriage and the family. New York: Rand McNally, 1964.

    Google Scholar 

  • Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. 2000(e) et. seq.

    Google Scholar 

  • Commonwealth v. Glenn ,208 Pa. Super. 206 (1966).

    Google Scholar 

  • Connecticut General Statute, Chapter 814, S. 46a–19, 46a–20 (1977). Protection of the Elderly Act.

    Google Scholar 

  • Craig v. Boren ,429 U.S. 190 (1976).

    Google Scholar 

  • DeBeauvoir, S. The second sex. New York: Knopf, 1953.

    Google Scholar 

  • Doe v. Commonwealth’s Attorney for City of Richmond ,425 U.S. 901 (1976).

    Google Scholar 

  • Domestic Violence Prevention and Services Act, HR 2977 (1980) (not passed).

    Google Scholar 

  • Drucker, D., The common law does not support a marital exception for forcible rape. Women’s Rights Law Reporter ,1979,5, 181.

    Google Scholar 

  • Drummond v. Fulton Co. Dept. of Family and Children Services ,408 F. Supp. 382 (N.D. Ga. 1976); rev’d. 547 F.2d 835 (5th cir. 1977); revised on rehrg. en banc, 563 F.2d 1200 (5th cir. 1977); cert, denied, 98S.O. 3103 (1978).

    Google Scholar 

  • Easton, B. Feminism and the contemporary family. Socialist Review, 1978, 8(3) ,11–36.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ehrenreich, B., & English, D. For her own good. Garden City, N.Y.: Anchor Books, 1979.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eisenstadt v. Baird ,405 U.S. 438 (1972). Elkins v. Elkins ,Ark. 553 S.W.2d 34 (1977). Firestone, S. The Dialectic of Sex. New York: William Morrow, 1970. Food Research and Action Center. Guide to welfare reform. Washington, D.C.: Author, 1979.

    Google Scholar 

  • Foster, H. H., Jr., Freed, D. J. Grandparents visitation: Vagaries and vicissitudes. New York Law Journal ,1978, 6(24).

    Google Scholar 

  • Freed, D. J., & Foster, H. H., Jr. Divorce in the fifty states: An overview as of 1978. Family Law Quarterly ,Spring 1979 13 ,116.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freed, D. J., & Foster, H. H. Jr. Divorce in the fifty states: An overview as of 1980. Family Law Quarterly ,Winter 1981, 14 ,229.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freed, D. J., & Foster, H. H. Jr. Divorce in the fifty states: An overview as of 1982. Family Law Quarterly ,Winter 1983, 16 ,315.

    Google Scholar 

  • Friedan, B. The feminine mystique. New York: Norton, 1963.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frontiero v. Richardson ,411 U.S. 677 (1973).

    Google Scholar 

  • Georgia Code Ann. S74–409, 410, 411 (Supp. 1977).

    Google Scholar 

  • Glendon, M. A. Modern marriage law and its underlying assumptions: The new marriage and the new property. Family Law Quarterly ,1980, 13 ,4.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goodman, E. The right you can’t lose. Boston Globe ,October 29, 1976, p. 33.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gordon, L. Woman’s body, woman’s right. New York: Penguin Books, 1977.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gordon v. Gordon ,577 P.2dl271 (1978), cert. denied 99 S.Ct. 185.

    Google Scholar 

  • Griffin, M. K. In 44 states, it’s legal to rape your wife. Student Lawyer, 1980, 9, 21.

    Google Scholar 

  • Griswoldv. Connecticut ,381 U.S. 479 (1965).

    Google Scholar 

  • Gunther, G. Constitutional law (10th ed.). Mineola, N.Y.: Foundation Press, 1980.

    Google Scholar 

  • H. L. v. Matheson ,67 L. Ed. 2d 388 (1981).

    Google Scholar 

  • Haber, S. & Seidenberg, B. Society’s recognition and control of violence. Kutash, Kutash, & Schlesinger (Eds.), Violence. San Francisco: JosseyBass, 1978.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harris v. McRae ,448 U.S. 297 (1980).

    Google Scholar 

  • In re Day, 189 Wash. 368, 65 P. 2d 1049 (1937).

    Google Scholar 

  • In re Sego, 82 Wash. 2d 736, 513 P. 2d 831 (1973).

    Google Scholar 

  • In re Strittmater’s Estate, 140 N.J. Eq. 94 (1947).

    Google Scholar 

  • Interview, Assistant Director, Family Division, District of Columbia Superior Court, November, 1985.

    Google Scholar 

  • Joyner v. Joyner ,59 N.C. 322 (1862).

    Google Scholar 

  • Kanowitz, L. Women and the law. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1969.

    Google Scholar 

  • Katz, S. When parents fail. Boston: Beacon Press, 1971.

    Google Scholar 

  • Katz, S. Elder abuse. Journal of Family Law ,1979–1980, 18 ,4.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kay, H., & Amyx, C. Marvin v. Marvin: Preserving the options. In W. Wadlington & M. G. Paulsen (Eds.), Domestic relations. Mineola, N.Y.: Foundation Press, 1978.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keene, N. Foster care and adoption reform: An Overview. Journal of Family Law ,1977–1978, 16 ,752.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kozlowski v. Kozlowski ,80 N.J. 378 (1979).

    Google Scholar 

  • Kraditor, A. Up from the pedestal: Selected writings in the history of feminism. Chicago: Quadrangle Press, 1968.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kulko v. Superior Court of California ,436 U.S. 84, 1978.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ladner, J. Tomorrow’s tomorrow. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1972.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lau, E. & Kosberg, J. R. Abuse of the elderly by informal care providers. Aging ,September–October 1979, p. 299.

    Google Scholar 

  • Laura X. Greta Rideout indicts marital rape project. Berkeley, Calif: Women’s History Research Center, 1980.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lerner, G. The Grimke sisters. New York: Schocken, 1971.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lerner, G. The female experience. Indianapolis: Bobbs Merrill, 1977.

    Google Scholar 

  • Levy, M. and Gross, S. Constitutional implications of parental support laws. University of Richmond Law Review ,1979, 13 ,517.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liss, L. Women’s right to property and divorce. Unpublished paper, Washington, D.C., 1980.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liss, L. Women’s right to property and divorce in early Maryland. Unpublished paper, Washington, D.C., 1982.

    Google Scholar 

  • Loving v. Virginia ,388 U.S. 1 (1967).

    Google Scholar 

  • Lovisi v. Slayton ,539 F.2d 349 (4th Cir., 1976).

    Google Scholar 

  • Maher v. Roe ,432 U.S. 464 (1977).

    Google Scholar 

  • Maine, H. S. Ancient law. New York: Henry Holt, 1885.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marbury v. Madison ,1 Cranch 137, 2 L.Ed. 60 (1803).

    Google Scholar 

  • Marciano, T. D. Variant family forms in a world perspective. The Family Coordinator ,October 1975, 24 ,408.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marvin v. Marvin ,176 Cal. Rptr. 555 (2d Dist. 1981), 557 P.2d 106, Supreme Court of California, en banc (1976).

    Google Scholar 

  • Maynard v. Hill ,125 U.S. 190 (1888).

    Google Scholar 

  • McGuire v. McGuire ,157 Neb. 226 (1953).

    Google Scholar 

  • Mill, J. S. On liberty. New York: Appleton–Century–Croft, 1947. (Originally published, 1859.)

    Google Scholar 

  • Millett, K. Sexual Politics. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1970.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mlyniec, W. The child advocate in private custody disputes: A role in search of a standard. Journal of Family Law ,1977–1978, 16 ,1.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mnookin, R. Child custody adjudication: Judicial functions in the face of indeterminancy. Law and Contemporary Problems ,1975, 39 ,226.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moore v. City of East Cleveland, Ohio ,431 U.S. 494 (1977).

    Google Scholar 

  • Mullane v. Central Hanover Bank ,339 U.S. 306 (1950).

    Google Scholar 

  • Muller v. Oregon ,208 U.S. 412 (1908).

    Google Scholar 

  • Myrdal, G. An American dilemma. New York: Harper & Row, 1944.

    Google Scholar 

  • National Clearinghouse on Marital Rape. State Law Chart. Berkeley, Ca., 1985.

    Google Scholar 

  • National Organization for Women Legal Defense and Education Fund. Myths of equality. New York (1981).

    Google Scholar 

  • New Jersey Sessions Law Service, Ch. 95 No. 20:14–5(b) (1978).

    Google Scholar 

  • Note. The legality of homosexual marriages. Yale Law Journal, 1973,82 ,573.

    Google Scholar 

  • Orr v. Orr ,440 U.S. 268 (1979).

    Google Scholar 

  • Palo Alto Tenants Union v. Morgan ,321 F.Supp. 908, 1970, N.D. Cal. aff’d. 487 F.2d 883 (9th Cir. 1973).

    Google Scholar 

  • Parental Kidnapping Prevention Act, HR. 8406 amends Section 1073, Social Security Act, signed January 1981.

    Google Scholar 

  • Planned Parenthood of Missouri v. Danforth ,428 U.S. 52 (1976).

    Google Scholar 

  • Poelker v. Doe ,432 U.S. 519 (1977).

    Google Scholar 

  • President’s Advisory Committee for Women. Voices for women ,December 1980.

    Google Scholar 

  • Prevention, Identification, and Treatment of Elder Abuse Act of 1981, H.R. 769, 97th Congress (1981).

    Google Scholar 

  • Reed v. Reed ,404 U.S. 71 (1971).

    Google Scholar 

  • Reynolds v. United States ,98 U.S. 145 (1878).

    Google Scholar 

  • Rice, R. M. American family policy. N.Y.: Family Service Association of America, 1977.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roe v. Wade ,410 U.S. 113(1973).

    Google Scholar 

  • Roman, M. & Haddad, W. The case for joint custody. Psychology Today ,September 1978, pp. 96–105.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rossi, A. S. The feminist papers. New York: Columbia University Press, 1973.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rostker v. Godlberg ,69 L.Ed.2d 478 (1981).

    Google Scholar 

  • Santosky v. Kramer ,102 U.S. 1388 (1982).

    Google Scholar 

  • Scheinberg v. Smith ,659 F.2d 476 (1981).

    Google Scholar 

  • Select Committee on Aging, U.S. House of Representatives, 97th Congress, Hearings on Elder Abuse (1981).

    Google Scholar 

  • Sillery v Fagan and Fagan ,120 N.J. Super. 416 (1972).

    Google Scholar 

  • Singer v. Hara ,11 Wash. App. 247, 522 P.2d 1187 (1974).

    Google Scholar 

  • Skinner v. Oklahoma ,316 U.S. 535 (1942).

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith v. Organization of Foster Families (OFFER), 431 U.S. 816 (1977).

    Google Scholar 

  • Stanley v. Illinois ,405 U.S. 645 (1972).

    Google Scholar 

  • State v. Smith ,148 N.J. Super.219, 372 A.2d 386 (Essex County Court, 1977).

    Google Scholar 

  • Steinmetz, S. Battered parents. Society ,July–August, 1978, pp. 54–55.

    Google Scholar 

  • Steinmetz, S. Elder Abuse. Aging ,January–February 1981, pp. 6– 10.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sussman, M. B. Marriage contracts: Social and legal consequences. Presented at the 1975 International Workshop on Changing Sex Roles in Family and Society, Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia, June 17, 1975.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sussman, M. B. Marriage and the family: Current critical issues. New York: Haworth Press, Critical Essay Series, 1980.

    Google Scholar 

  • Swoap v. Superior Court of Sacramento County ,10 Cal. 3d 490,111 Cal. Rptr. 136 (1973).

    Google Scholar 

  • Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction Act, Section 14–13–101 et seq. C.R.S. 1973.

    Google Scholar 

  • Uniform Marriage and Divorce Act. National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. Chicago: 1974.

    Google Scholar 

  • Uniform Reciprocal Enforcement of Support Act, 1950,9 Uniform Laws Annotated 888.

    Google Scholar 

  • U.S. Bureau of the Census. Child support and alimony: 1978 ,Advance Report, Special Studies P–23, No. 106.

    Google Scholar 

  • U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. News release, USDL 77–191, March 8, 1977.

    Google Scholar 

  • U.S. Department of Agriculture v. Moreno ,413 U.S. 528 (1973). U.S. Department of Justice. Letter to Senator M. Wallop ,March 30, 1982.

    Google Scholar 

  • Village of Belle Terre v. Boraas ,416 U.S. 1 (1974).

    Google Scholar 

  • Virginia Slims American Women’s Opinion Poll, Roper Organization Inc., 1974.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wadlington, W., & Paulsen, M. G. (Eds.). Domestic relations. Mineola, N.Y.: Foundation Press, 1978.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wald, P. Children’s rights: A framework for analysis. University of California–Davis Law Review ,1979, 12 ,255.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wallop, M., Senator. Letter to friends ,December 17, 1980.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wallop, M., Senator. Letter to U.S. Attorney General ,January 20,1982.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wallop, M., Senator. Statement before the House Judiciary Committee on Crime ,September 24, 1981.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weitzman, L. J. The marriage contract: Spouses, lovers and the law. N.Y.: Free Press, Macmillan, 1981.

    Google Scholar 

  • When fathers have to raise families alone. U.S. News and World Report, 1977.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams v. North Carolina ,325 U.S. 226 (1945).

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams v. Williams ,543 P.2d 1401 (1976).

    Google Scholar 

  • Wisconsin v. Yoder ,406 U.S. 205 (1972).

    Google Scholar 

  • Zablocki v. Redhail ,434 U.S. 374 (1978).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 7207 Snowden Drive, San Antonio, TX, 78240, USA

    Lora Liss

Authors
  1. Lora Liss
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Union Graduate School of the Union Institute, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

    Marvin B. Sussman

  2. Department of Individual and Family Studies, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA

    Marvin B. Sussman  & Suzanne K. Steinmetz  & 

  3. Department of Sociology, Indiana University, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

    Suzanne K. Steinmetz

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1987 Plenum Press, New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Liss, L. (1987). Families and the Law. In: Sussman, M.B., Steinmetz, S.K. (eds) Handbook of Marriage and the Family. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-7151-3_27

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-7151-3_27

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4615-7153-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-7151-3

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation