Divorce, American style : fighting for women's economic citizenship in the neoliberal era / Suzanne Kahn.

Philadelphia : University of Pennsylvania Press, [2021]

viii, 327 pages ; 24 cm.

"This book examines feminist divorce reformers, their relationship with the broader feminist movement, and their lasting effects on the American social welfare regime. It shows how the two distinctive qualities of the American welfare state-its gendered nature and its public/private nature-combined to encourage the breadwinner-homemaker model of marriage's use as policy tool. The linking of access to economic benefits to marriage, begun early in the development of the American social insurance system, shaped political identity and activism in the 1970s and has continued to do so into our current political moment. The result has not only affected policy questions directly relating to marriage but also limited the possibilities for expanding America's social welfare provisions. As a gateway to full economic citizenship, marriage has always served as an institution that protects and perpetuates class privilege"-- Provided by publisher.

English

July 10, 2021

Politics and culture in modern America.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

History.