The Marriage and Matrimonial Property Law Amendment Act (3) of 1988, together with the Divorce Act (70) of 1979, has brought about fundamental changes to the South African law of marriage. Prior to its enactment, black persons had been almost entirely excluded from the operation of the Matrimonial Property Act (88) of 1984, and it was only in 1988 that the Amendment Act (3) extended the ameliorations of 1984 to their civil marriages. This book discusses the ramifactions of this in detail, as well as dealing with the implications of the South African constitution. It refers to comparative law and the literature that describes important and similar developments in other jurisdictions.