Kevin's Blog

I recently read an article by an Indian lawyer criticising the lack of property rights for women when they separate from their husbands. The lawyer was arguing that an Indian woman should have some say in relation to the sale of her family home and that she should be offered greater financial security in the event of divorce or separation. The position in India seems to be similar to the position in Ireland prior to the enactment of the Family Home Protection Act in 1976.

The article referred to the position of woman in Ireland as something to aim for. It was an interesting article but by far the most interesting aspect of it was the absolute deluge of negative comments received from Indian men. The common theme in the responses was related to the number of female “gold diggers” who were allegedly marry men for the sake of their money and then deliberately divorce them. We completely take for granted legislation such as the Family Home Protection Act and legislation in relation to the payment of maintenance and financial provision on divorce and separation but it should be born in mind that while we take all of this completely for granted, changing public attitudes can be painfully slow and difficult process.

Kevin Brophy