This week, two different stories regarding divorce from the perspective of gender. Firstly a group of women who feel they have been hard done by in the divorce courts have set up the First Wives Club (not to be confused with the film of the same name starring Goldie Hawn, Bette Midler and Diane Keaton). This new First Wives Club, led by divorcee Michelle Young, aims to help women whose husbands are alleged to have hidden substantial assets during divorce settlement discussions.
There are some people who believe that the system is stacked against women achieving a fair deal, as men are more likely to be the high earners, and therefore more able to hide their assets. It is fair to say that it can also happen that the husband simply drags his heels and takes so long that the wife just gives up in favour of getting what they can and moving on with their life, regardless of the legal advice given to her to 'hang on in there'.
On the other hand, this week has also seen the setting up of the first men-only law practice in the UK, presumably as a reaction to the feeling that actually women DO get a good deal through divorce in the UK. It’s an idea that has come from (where else?) the USA. There is concern amongst UK lawyers that 'all male' firms will promote a false idea of an unfair legal system. The firm in question, Cordell & Cordell, goes with the slogan ‘we’re going to help you keep the dollars you earned.”
Presumably the First Wives Club would beg to differ…
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