While there are many books on Islamic family law, the literature on its enforcement is scarce. This book focuses on how Islamic family law is interpreted and applied by judges in a range of Muslim countries - Sunni and Shi'a, as well as Arab and non-Arab. It thereby aids the understanding of shari'a law in practice in a number of different cultural and political settings. It shows how the existence of differing views of what shari'a is, as well as the presence of a vast body of legal material which judges can refer to, make it possible for courts to interpret Islamic law in creative and innovative ways.

Authors have consulted leading figures such as Peter Fonagy and Rohan de Silva to ensure that research is up to date.

'I absolutely raced through this book - beautifully suspenseful, pacy and smart. A real talent in the psych thriller genre.' L.V. Matthews, author of The Twins She trusted a stranger with her secrets. Now she's paying the price. Emily loves her four-year-old twin daughters. Like any frazzled mum, she spends her time wiping up spills, cooking their favourite meals and putting plasters on scraped knees, trying her best to be the perfect mum as well as keep her sanity. Internet forum MumsOnline proves to be a lifeline in her darkest days, an anonymous place where she can voice the problems that she would never say in real life. She finds a connection with fellow mum-of-twins, TwoIsTrouble, and soon, the internet friends are chatting daily. But when Emily tries to pull back, realising she has shared too much about the darkness in her past, she finds herself being stalked. As Emily's history is exposed, it's clear that someone is using her secrets against her...and they will threaten everything Emily loves to destroy her perfect life. A gripping domestic suspense thriller that asks if we really know who we are talking to online, with a twist ending that will make you gasp. Fans of T.M. Logan, Lisa Jewell and Gillian McAllister will love this unputdownable read. Praise for Keep Them Close: 'A splendidly twisty psychological mystery' Daily Mail 'Expertly paced and totally compelling...a bruising exploration of motherhood and family secrets.' Anna Bailey, author of Tall Bones 'A terrifying, twisty thriller in which seemingly no one can be trusted. Very cleverly written - I raced through this. Highly recommended.' Catherine Cooper, author of The Chalet 'I sped through Keep Them Close...before being slammed by an ending I didn't see coming. Nuanced and pacey, this is a must-read.' Polly Phillips, author of The Reunion 'Chilling, creepy and frighteningly plausible with a clever twist. A real page turner.' Sarah Linley, author of The Wedding Murders The very definition of a page-turner, but also heartbreaking and relatable - a real rollercoaster of a read' Charlotte Duckworth, author of The Perfect Father 'A compulsively readable twisty thriller... I couldn't put this well plotted and immersive psychological thriller down.' Emily Freud, author of What She Left Behind 'Pacey, insightful, emotionally rich and full of twists - I loved it.' Holly Seddon, author of Try Not to Breathe 'What a chilling, thrilling ride!...The plot line gave me goosebumps. Five stars from me.' D.E White, author of Glass Dolls 'A superb thriller - fast-paced, thought-provoking, and so cleverly plotted that it's impossible to know who to trust.' Sarah Clarke, author of Every Little Secret 'Sure-footed and suspenseful' Cara Hunter, author of Hope to Die 'I absolutely loved this from start to finish!... Be warned, you might have to read it in one sitting.' Reader Review 'Kept me on my toes the entire time I read it, desperate to find out it happened. I really couldn't put it down!' Reader Review 'The ending was nothing I could have ever seen coming. This book will have you both on the edge of your seat and gasping for air' Reader Review 'This book was amazing! Everything a modern-day thriller should be. I loved the characters, I loved the story, I loved the suspense!' Reader Review

This book examines the strength of laws addressing four types of violence against women--rape, marital rape, domestic violence, and sexual harassment--in 196 countries from 2007 to 2010. It analyzes why these laws exist in some places and not others, and why they are stronger or weaker in places where they do exist. The authors have compiled original data that allow them to test various hypotheses related to whether international law drives the enactment of domestic legal protections. They also examine the ways in which these legal protections are related to economic, political, and social institutions, and how transnational society affects the presence and strength of these laws. The original data produced for this book make a major contribution to comparisons and analyses of gender violence and law worldwide.

"Baby safe haven" laws, which allow a parent to relinquish a newborn baby legally and anonymously at a specified institutional location-such as a hospital or fire station-were established in every state between 1999 and 2009. Promoted during a time of heated public debate over policies on abortion, sex education, teen pregnancy, adoption, welfare, immigrant reproduction, and child abuse, safe haven laws were passed by the majority of states with little contest. These laws were thought to offer a solution to the consequences of unwanted pregnancies: mothers would no longer be burdened with children they could not care for, and newborn babies would no longer be abandoned in dumpsters. Yet while these laws are well meaning, they ignore the real problem: some women lack key social and economic supports that mothers need to raise children. Safe haven laws do little to help disadvantaged women. Instead, advocates of safe haven laws target teenagers, women of color, and poor women with safe haven information and see relinquishing custody of their newborns as an act of maternal love. Disadvantaged women are preemptively judged as "bad" mothers whose babies would be better off without them. Laury Oaks argues that the labeling of certain kinds of women as potential "bad" mothers who should consider anonymously giving up their newborns for adoption into a "loving" home should best be understood as an issue of reproductive justice. Safe haven discourses promote narrow images of who deserves to be a mother and reflect restrictive views on how we should treat women experiencing unwanted pregnancy.

A critical reader of the history of marriage understands that it is an institution that has always been in flux. It is also a decidedly complicated one, existing simultaneously in the realms of religion, law, and emotion. And yet recent years have seen dramatic and heavily waged battles over the proposition of including same sex couples in marriage. Just what is at stake in these battles? License to Wed examines the meanings of marriage for couples in the two first states to extend that right to same sex couples: California and Massachusetts. The two states provide a compelling contrast: while in California the rights that go with marriage-inheritance, custody, and so forth-were already granted to couples under the state's domestic partnership law, those in Massachusetts did not have this same set of rights. At the same time, Massachusetts has offered civil marriage consistently since 2004; Californians, on the other hand, have experienced a much more turbulent legal path. And yet, same-sex couples in both states seek to marry for a variety of interacting, overlapping, and evolving reasons that do not vary significantly by location. The evidence shows us that for many of these individuals, access to civil marriage in particular-not domestic partnership alone, no matter how broad-and not a commitment ceremony alone, no matter how emotional-is a home of such personal, civic, political, and instrumental resonance that it is ultimately difficult to disentangle the many meanings of marriage. This book attempts to do so, and in the process reveals just what is at stake for these couples, how access to a legal institution fundamentally alters their consciousness, and what the impact of legal inclusion is for those traditionally excluded.

Karin Walker and Dr Supriya McKenna team up to explain why separating from or divorcing a narcissist is a hugely difficult, draining experience, but one which follows predictable patterns. This book will will help you recognise narcissistic behaviour, prime you on what challenges lie ahead and provide practical insights and information on how to survive the process emotionally, financially and legally. You will be supported step by step through the legal process as well as through the difficult emotional journey that lies ahead, and shown how to work with your legal team to limit the damage caused by an aggrieved, hostile narcissistic ex.

Whenever the legitimacy of a new or ethically contentious medical intervention is considered, a range of influences will determine whether the treatment becomes accepted as lawful medical treatment. The development and introduction of abortion, organ donation, gender reassignment, and non-therapeutic cosmetic surgery have, for example, all raised ethical, legal, and clinical issues. This book examines the various factors that legitimatise a medical procedure. Bringing together a range of internationally and nationally recognised academics from law, philosophy, medicine, health, economics, and sociology, the book explores the notion of a treatment, practice, or procedure being proper medical treatment, and considers the range of diverse factors which might influence the acceptance of a particular procedure as appropriate in the medical context. Contributors address such issues as clinical judgement and professional autonomy, the role of public interest, and the influence of resource allocation in decision-making. Chapter 6 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 3.0 license. https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/tandfbis/rt-files/docs/Open+Access+Chapters/9781138819634_oachapter6.pdf

Family Law Arbitration is a guide to arbitration in family matters both financial and in respect of children. It sets out: - what is meant by arbitration - the process - the purpose - its benefits - important cases including arbitration decisions confirmed in the High Court It gives practitioners and lay individuals an understanding of family law arbitration, how it works in family matters and what can be expected when an arbitration proceeds, showing both the lawyers involved and the client all they need to know in terms of practice and procedure. There have been a number of developments since publication of the second edition in 2017 including numerous cases and revised practice guidance over the years which are referenced in the book In particular, there is new material on: - Arbitration - practical tips and a comparative table of family arbitration around the world - Children Scheme allowing leave to remain in Hague countries - The case of Haley v Haley which provided important considerations in relation to the appeal of family law arbitration. - Impact of Covid - many people are choosing arbitration over appearing in court. - The 'Certainty Project' and looking to the future. The practical nature of the work is enhanced by comprehensive Appendices: Forms and Precedents which include: - Draft letters to solicitors/client in respect of financial and children issues - A pre-commitment Questionnaire - Checklist for discussion at the IFLA Family Arbitration first meeting - Arbitrator's Terms of Engagement - A final checklist - Draft letters to HMCTS - Titles for New Square Omnibus Orders - Order to stay proceedings - Enforcement of an Arbitrator's Order - Securing attendance of witnesses Family Law Arbitration is essential reading for the judiciary, legal practitioners, local authorities, academics and students in the UK. It is also of interest to the legal profession, academics and students internationally as it provides a comparison of Family Law Arbitration in England and Wales with the regime in other jurisdictions as well as an understanding as to its advancement and development and why Arbitration in England and Wales can assist in international family law matters. This book has been used as a main resource of followers of the International Academy of Family Lawyers (IAFL).

This book is an anthropologist's field study of the new court set up in Singapore to deal with matrimonial suits (chiefly divorce) among Muslims. The study is based on careful observation of the court in action, and analyses in detail the relationship between the reformist aims of the new law and the values and expectations of litigants. The book takes its departure from the argument developed in Dr Djamour's earlier work, Malay Kinship and Mamage in Singapore (Athlone Press, 1959; paperback edition 1965), and discusses the effect of recent attempts to promote the stability of Muslim marriage. Social scientists, lawyers, students of Islam, and those interested in Malayan problems will find in this book the same qualities that distinguished Dr Djamour's previous study -- lively and sympathetic descriptive powers joined to an ability for clear factual analysis.

This book considers the rapidly evolving, both legally and socially, nature of image-based abuse, for both minors and adults. Drawing mainly from UK data, legislation and case studies, it presents a thesis that the law is, at best, struggling to keep up with some fundamental issues around image based abuse, such as the sexual nature of the crimes and the long term impact on victims, and at worst, in the case of supporting minors, not fit for purpose. It shows, through empirical and legislative analysis, that the dearth of education around this topic, coupled with cultural norms, creates a victim blaming culture that extends into adulthood. It proposes both legislative developments and need for wider stakeholder engagement to understand and support victims, and the impact the non-consensual sharing of intimate images can have on their long-term mental health and life in general. The book is of interest to scholar of law, criminology, sociology, police and socio-technical studies, and is also to those who practice law, law enforcement or wider social care role in both child and adult safeguarding.

Comparative in both approach and framework, Family Law, Sex and Society provides a critical exposition of key areas in family law, exploring their evolution and development within their historical, cultural, political and legal context. Cross-referencing to English law throughout, this comparative textbook pays particular attention to the transformation of marriage; the development of divorce laws; matrimonial property; the legal recognition of unmarried heterosexual and same-sex cohabitants; the universal adoption of the best interests standard for children in domestic and international legislation; and the impact of the Human Rights Act 1998 on family law in a variety of jurisdictions. Divided into different sections, Family Law, Sex and Society includes coverage of: a jurisdictional and historical survey of some of the main themes in Family Law, as well as consideration of the evolution of the Western family the English law relating to divorce, marital property and children and a comparison with the equivalent law in the civil law jurisdictions of France and Germany family law developments in other common law countries such as Australia and New Zealand, selected American jurisdictions, parts of Africa and some Far Eastern countries; and hybrid jurisdictions like Japan and Russia an analysis of the law relating to unmarried cohabitation and domestic partnerships in civil law jurisdictions such as France, Germany and Sweden in comparison to Anglo-American law a comparative analysis of the laws relating to domestic violence. Family Law, Sex and Society offers valuable socio-legal and socio-cultural insights into the practice of family law, and is the only textbook that provides a unified, coherent and comparative approach to the study of family law as it operates in these particular jurisdictions.

Winner of the 2010 Distinguished Book Award from the American Psychological Association's 44th Division (the Society for the Psychological Study of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Issues) An in-depth, transnational primer on the current state of same-sex marriage post legalization The summer of 2008 was the summer of love and commitment for gays and lesbians in the United States. Thousands of same-sex couples stood in line for wedding licenses all over California in the first few days after same-sex marriage was legalized. On the other side of the country, Massachusetts, the very first state to give gay couples marriage rights, took the last step to full equality by allowing same-sex couples from other states to marry there as well. These happy times for same-sex couples were the hallmark of true equality for some, yet others questioned whether the very bedrock of society was crumbling. What would this new step portend? In order to find out the impact of same-sex marriage, M. V. Lee Badgett traveled to a land where it has been legal for same-sex couples to marry since 2001: the Netherlands. Badgett interviews gay couples to find out how this step has affected their lives. We learn about the often surprising changes to their relationships, the reactions of their families, and work colleagues. Moreover, Badgett is interested in the ways that the institution itself has been altered for the larger society. How has the concept of marriage changed? When Gay People Get Married gives readers a primer on the current state of the same-sex marriage debate, and a new way of framing the issue that provides valuable new insights into the political, social, and personal stakes involved. The experiences of other countries and these pioneering American states serve as a crystal ball as we grapple with this polarizing issue in the American context. The evidence shows both that marriage changes gay people more than gay people change marriage, and that it is the most liberal countries and states making the first move to recognize gay couples. In the end, Badgett compellingly shows that allowing gay couples to marry does not destroy the institution of marriage and that many gay couples do benefit, in expected as well as surprising ways, from the legal, social, and political rights that the institution offers.

Winner of the 2010 Pacific Sociological Association Distinguished Contribution to Scholarship Award A lesbian couple rears a child together and, after the biological mother dies, the surviving partner loses custody to the child's estranged biological father. Four days later, in a different court, judges rule on the side of the partner, because they feel the child relied on the woman as a "psychological parent." What accounts for this inconsistency regarding gay and lesbian adoption and custody cases, and why has family law failed to address them in a comprehensive manner? In Courting Change, Kimberly D. Richman zeros in on the nebulous realm of family law, one of the most indeterminate and discretionary areas of American law. She focuses on judicial decisions-both the outcomes and the rationales-and what they say about family, rights, sexual orientation, and who qualifies as a parent. Richman challenges prevailing notions that gay and lesbian parents and families are hurt by laws' indeterminacy, arguing that, because family law is so loosely defined, it allows for the flexibility needed to respond to-and even facilitate - changes in how we conceive of family, parenting, and the role of sexual orientation in family law. Drawing on every recorded judicial decision in gay and lesbian adoption and custody cases over the last fifty years, and on interviews with parents, lawyers, and judges, Richman demonstrates how parental and sexual identities are formed and interpreted in law, and how gay and lesbian parents can harness indeterminacy to transform family law.

A critical reader of the history of marriage understands that it is an institution that has always been in flux. It is also a decidedly complicated one, existing simultaneously in the realms of religion, law, and emotion. And yet recent years have seen dramatic and heavily waged battles over the proposition of including same sex couples in marriage. Just what is at stake in these battles? This book examines the meanings of marriage for couples in the two first states to extend that right to same sex couples: California and Massachusetts. The two states provide a compelling contrast: while in California the rights that go with marriage--inheritance, custody, and so forth--were already granted to couples under the state's domestic partnership law, those in Massachusetts did not have this same set of rights. At the same time, Massachusetts has offered civil marriage consistently since 2004; Californians, on the other hand, have experienced a much more turbulent legal path. And yet, same-sex couples in both states seek to marry for a variety of interacting, overlapping, and evolving reasons that do not vary significantly by location. The evidence shows us that for many of these individuals, access to civil marriage in particular--not domestic partnership alone, no matter how broad--and not a commitment ceremony alone, no matter how emotional--is a home of such personal, civic, political, and instrumental resonance that it is ultimately difficult to disentangle the many meanings of marriage. This book attempts to do so, and in the process reveals just what is at stake for these couples, how access to a legal institution fundamentally alters their consciousness, and what the impact of legal inclusion is for those traditionally excluded. Kimberly Richman is Associate Professor of Sociology and Legal Studies at the University of San Francisco.

Over the past two decades, virtually all areas of family law have undergone major doctrinal and theoretical changes - from the definition of marriage, to the financial and parenting consequences of divorce, to the legal construction of parenthood. An equally important set of changes has transformed the resolution of family disputes. This 'paradigm shift' in family conflict resolution has reshaped the practice of family law and has fundamentally altered the way in which disputing families interact with the legal system. Moreover, the changes have important implications for the way that family law is understood and taught. This volume examines the contours of this paradigm shift in family conflict resolution and explores its implications for family law scholarship and practice. The interdisciplinary compilation includes contributions from lawyers, legal academics, social scientists and mental health professionals. As the articles in the volume demonstrate, the transformation in family conflict resolution holds considerable promise for disputing families, but it also raises a number of challenges. These challenges include concerns about the institutional competence of courts, the surrender of fact-finding and decision-making to individuals without legal training, the loss of autonomy and privacy for family members subject to continuing court oversight and the disjunction between problem-solving justice and authoritative legal norms. By exploring both the promise of the new paradigm and its potential pitfalls, this volume engages family law scholars and offers insights to judges, practitioners and policy makers responsible for serving families in conflict.

With the accelerating movement of individuals and families across national borders, the intersections of cultural and legal frameworks have become increasingly complex. The Multi-Cultural Family collects essays from around the world on the challenges of legal pluralism, minority religious communities and customary or indigenous law, with attention paid to marriage and divorce, as well as child custody and adoption, family violence and dispute resolution.

The law has long been interested in marriage and conjugal cohabitation and in the range of public and private obligations that accrue from intimate living. This collection of classic articles explores that legal interest, while at the same time locating marriage and cohabitation within a range of intimate affiliations. It offers the perspectives of a number of international scholars on questions of how, if at all, our different ways of intimacy ought to be recognised and regulated by law.

This book critically examines domestic violence law in India. It focuses on women's experiences and perspectives as victims and litigants, with regard to accessibility to law and justice. It also reflects on the manner in which the legal process reproduces gender hierarchies. This volume: Analyzes the legal framework from a gender perspective to pinpoint the inherent stereotypes, prejudices and discriminatory practices that come into play while interpreting the law; Includes in-depth interviews and case studies, and explores critical themes such as marriage, rights, family, violence, property and the state; Presents alternatives beyond the domain of law, such as qualitative medical care and legal aid facilities, shelter homes, short-stay homes, childcare facilities, and economic and social security provisions to survivors and their children. Drawing on extensive testimonies and ethnographic studies situated in a theoretical framework of law, this book will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of law, gender, human rights, women's studies, sociology and social anthropology, and South Asian studies.

This book examines the rights of the child using the global framework of the United Nations International Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989. Analysing both public and private international legal aspects, this cross-disciplinary text promotes a holistic understanding of the ongoing development of child law, children's rights and the protection of the child. In-depth analyses of the following topic areas are included: Childhood in the digital age; Child labour; International parental child abduction; Inter-country adoption; Sexual exploitation; Children and armed conflict; and Indigenous children. These topics are contextualised with further chapters on the concept of childhood and children's rights, the international legal framework in which the Convention operates and a substantive chapter on the Convention itself. This fourth edition has been updated and revised, including a new chapter dealing with issues arising from childhood in the age of unprecedented digital technological advancements; a crucial issue for childhood experiences in modern times. This edition also includes new case studies, recent legal developments in the field of international child law, and inclusion of broader scholarship to capture diverse views on international law and child law. The aim of this book is to provide the reader with an accessible, informed, critical and scholarly account of the international law framework relating to children. Drawing on a range of legal and other disciplines, this book remains a valuable resource for those in the course of study and research in this area.

The approximately two million gay and lesbian elders in the United States are an underserved and understudied population. At a time when gay men and lesbians enjoy an unprecedented degree of social acceptance and legal protection, many elders face the daily challenges of aging isolated from family, detached from the larger gay and lesbian community, and ignored by mainstream aging initiatives. Drawing on materials from law, history, and social theory, this book integrates practical proposals for reform with larger issues of sexuality and identity. Beginning with a summary of existing demographic data and offering a historical overview of pre-Stonewall views of homosexuality, author Nancy J. Knauer goes on to address the invisibility of this community. She examines the multiple double binds central to their identity formation, including ageism among gays and lesbians and homophobia among seniors. Further, the book focuses on specific legal concerns such as estate planning, housing, discrimination, and financial insecurity, and how they impact this community uniquely. Integrating theory with practical questions of policy, and advancing a new understanding of the construction of sexuality and identity, this book advocates meaningful new reforms designed to ensure equity and dignity in aging regardless of sexual orientation.

This book discusses a number of important themes in comparative law: legal metaphors and methodology, the movements of legal ideas and institutions and the mixity they produce, and marriage, an area of law in which culture - or clashes of legal and public cultures - may be particularly evident. In a mix of methodological and empirical investigations divided by these themes, the work offers expanded analyses and a unique cross-section of materials that is on the cutting edge of comparative law scholarship. It presents an innovative approach to legal pluralism, the study of mixed jurisdictions, and language and the law, with the use of metaphors not as an illustration but as a core element of comparative methodology.

Many adopted people today try to find information about their origins and search for birth family members.

Based on a large-scale research study, the authors Liz Trinder, Julia Feast and David Howe have drawn on the real-life experience of adopted people who have searched for, and had a reunion with, birth relatives. "The Adoption Reunion Handbook" combines comprehensive and practical step-by-step guidance and advice on: how to begin what to expect emotionally the legal framework finding names and addresses how to set up a reunion making the reunion work long term rejection and reunion breakdown further help and advice.

This 'how to' guide is essential for everyone involved, particularly those considering searching for information on their birth relatives. It will also be of use to birth parents, adoptive parents, adoption charities, social workers, psychologists and counsellors.

Kate O'Reilly loves a stroll down memory lane.Nowadays she's a mother to Declan and Phoebe, has the semi-detached in suburbia and the dependable husband, Seamus - but when faced with a never-ending pile of laundry and new chin hairs sprouting overnight, no wonder she daydreams about the past. A time when the music was better (Girl Power forever!), her social circle was wider, Cool Britannia reigned supreme and only a penalty shootout stood between England reaching the finals of Euro '96. So, when a freak electrical storm takes her back in time to 1996, Kate's elated - this is her chance to discover what might have happened if she'd only done things a little bit differently in the Nineties. But as she relives her youth again, will Kate realise some things really are best left in the past? And will she ever be able to get back to the family she misses so much? Even if none of them know how to load the sodding dishwasher... A laugh-out-loud, relatable read for anyone who wishes they could take a holiday from adulting... fans of Why Mummy Drinks and Jane Fallon will love this! Previously published as A Mother Dimension, this has been extensively edited and rewritten. Readers are loving The Glory Years: 'A quick, easy and fun read that I adored...I couldn't put it down. I loved the characters and it made me laugh.' Reader Review Wow!...It completely exceeded all my expectations... a lot of twists and turns throughout the book which keeps you captivated' Reader Review 'I think pretty much everyone can relate to this book... I laughed out loud several times!' Reader Review 'This book had me turning pages without even realizing. It was so good!' Reader Review 'Kate was such a fun relatable character...Very nostalgic and cute! I remember so much of the blasts from the past which was fun!' Reader Review 'Adorable, heartwarming and inspiring.' Reader Review 'It's such a jovial, humorous and light-hearted book... Overall a fantastic read.' Reader Review Praise for Mink Elliott: 'Nothing short of a delight... I would recommend this book if you are looking for a lighthearted and feel good read' Reader Review 'So fun to read. It reminded me of Bridget Jones' Diary (for 50 year olds!)...Highly recommend!' Reader Review 'This book had me laughing because it is so relatable and down to earth...Within the first few pages, I found myself chuckling...Highly recommend this read.' Reader Review 'Lighthearted and full of comedy...the story was relatable and enjoyable.' Reader Review 'A really easy, feel good read which is particularly relatable for those of us of a certain age!!!' Reader Review 'A brilliant, enjoyable and entertaining book that made me smile and laugh... I loved the humour and the likeable cast of characters. Highly recommended.' Reader Review 'This book was hilarious...a great way to escape for a few hours.' Reader Review

Argues for legal reforms to protect couples who live apart but perform many of the functions of a family Living Apart Together is an in-depth look at a new way of being a couple and "doing family"-living apart together (LAT)-in which committed couples maintain separate residences and finances. In Bowman's own 2016 national survey, 9% of respondents reported maintaining committed relationships while living apart, typically spending the weekend together, socializing together, taking vacations together, and looking after one another in illness, but maintaining financial independence. The term LAT stems from Europe, where this manner of coupledom has been extensively studied; however, it has gone virtually unnoticed in the United States. Living Apart Together aims to remedy this oversight by presenting original research derived from both randomized surveys and qualitative interviews. Beginning with the large body of social science literature from outside the US, Cynthia Bowman examines the prevalence of this lifestyle, the demographics of people who live apart, their reasons for doing so, and how these individuals manage finances, care during illness, and many other aspects of family life. She focuses in particular detail on three key demographics-women, gay men, and the elderly-and how individuals from these groups engage in LAT behavior. She finds that while these living arrangements are more common than previously believed, there are virtually no legal protections for the people involved. Bowman concludes by proposing a number of legal reforms to support the caregiving functions LAT partners perform for each other. Living Apart Together makes an important case for formal recognition of this growing but largely overlooked family structure.