The term “marriage strike” has gained some currency in recent years. Any good strike needs a specific set of demands. After some consideration I’ve come up with the below list of demands. I’d appreciate any suggestions for improvements. I know some points could be a little more specific, like #7. Maybe this can serve as a basis for an actual marriage strike movement. Although naturally every jurisdiction and individual will have their differences, I’ve tried to make this fairly inclusive while not drifting too much into other men’s rights issues that aren’t directly related to marriage.

  1. Abolition of common law marriage or any other quasi-marriage arrangements which are entered into automatically or involuntarily.
  2. Equal access to marriage for all regardless of sex or gender.
  3. Retention or instatement of adultery as a ground for divorce.
  4. Abolition of all laws, regulations, and policies relating to abuse which discriminate on the basis of gender or sex.
  5. Felony charges for demonstrably false accusations of abuse.
  6. Organizations which openly espouse or advocate gender- or sex-biased views or policies barred from government funding.
  7. Remove incentives for judges and attorneys to draw out divorce proceedings.
  8. Auditing of judges for gender- or sex-based discrimination in rulings with consequences up to disbarment.
  9. Abolition of the “duress” exemption for prenuptial agreements.
  10. Abolition of alimony (maintenance).
  11. Presumed 50/50 custody unless one divorcing partner can be verified as abusive or incompetent.
  12. Property gained by divorcing partners prior to marriage, or its equivalent, devolves to original owner. Presumed 50/50 split of property gained after marriage.
  13. Right to abortion on demand up to the 20th week of pregnancy.
  14. Right to relinquish all parental rights and responsibilities up to the signing of birth certificate.
  15. Right to a paternity test on demand at any point prior to the signing of birth certificate.
  16. Prohibition of adding a parent’s name to a birth certificate without informed consent, except in cases of mental incompetence.
  17. Right to be informed of the birth of biological children.
  18. Felony charges for paternity fraud.
  19. Recognition of parental alienation as a form of child abuse.
  • rikersbeard@kbin.socialOP
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    2
    ·
    1 year ago
    1. is supposed to refer to “paper abortions” but I guess I didn’t phrase it very clearly.

    Good point about the bias in family services. I wonder what could be done in terms of policy, aside from offering scholarships for men to get degrees in social work.