Family Law and Family Studies

each family is also a unit of the state, and the state has an interest in the health and order of its constituent parts, some limit must be set on the freedom of the individual family . . . it is the boundary between private and public life which is the field of family (Puxson, 1971, p. 9). Marriage is a civil status, involving a contract in which there are certain obligations and responsibilities assumed by the partners in exchange for certain rights and privileges. The law determines minimal age for marriage, consanguineous proscriptions, health standards, grounds for divorce and annulment, property rights and other legal enactments. In the United States authority over marriage and divorce is the responsibility of the individual states, resulting in fifty different sets of marriage and divorce statutes. The government has always had an interest in the regulation of marriage because of the central role it plays in our society. Since states have considered it necessary to impose legal controls over both marriage and divorce, it is a matter of some concern to know whether legal aspects of marriage and family life are included in college courses on family studies. In particular, the purpose of this study is to answer the following questions: (a) Should professors teach about family law in family

Family law · Family relationship · Political science · Sociology · Law · Legal Systems and Judicial Processes · Psychology · Social Psychology