1st Edition
Marriage and Values in Public Policy Conflicts in the UK, the US and Australia
Introduction: Neoliberalism, Values and Marriage Policies
Chapter 1: Transforming the Legal State of Marriage
Chapter 2: The Clash of Institutional Versus Individual Values
Chapter 3: Changing Gender Relations and Values in Marriage
Chapter 4: The Neglect of the Marriage Divide and Disadvantaged Cohorts
Chapter 5: Government Strategies to Strengthen Marriage
Chapter 6: The Contradictory Politics of Same-Sex Marriage
Conclusions: Can All Couples ‘Live Happily Ever After’ in Neoliberal Societies?
Appendix: Interview Questions
Index
Biography
Elizabeth Van Acker is Senior Lecturer in the School of Government and International Relations, Griffith University, Australia. Her research interests include government policies around marriage and relationships, gender representations and politics and industry policies.
'Van Acker’s new book locates the debates over the past, present and future of marriage in their broader political context and skilfully identifies the competing values underpinning different policies on marriage. It will be a very valuable contribution to the literature and illuminates why formulating policy on marriage is so difficult!' - Rebecca Probert, University of Warwick, UK
'The very word "marriage" has become a loaded political term, not only inflaming debates about same-sex partnerships, but complicating discussion of the relationship between neo-liberalism and inequality, individual responsibility and social fabric, multiculturalism and persistent racism and religious differences. In this volume, Australian political scientist Liz van Acker explores the question of why marriage has become a political dividing line in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia, providing new insight into the source and role of values during a period of economic and cultural change.' - June Carbone, Robina Chair of Law, Science and Technology, University of Minnesota Law School
