Family related news included a spotlight on two ends of the spectrum: “divorce month” and wedding vows. Also in the news was a deep dive into understanding on how child custody is used by abusers to seek control over their victim, and a look at a push for a 12 week parental leave in Congress which would enable affected lawmakers to vote remotely during that time.
Bill Conerly, Forbes, January 6, 2025
Some economists are predicting that the current economic conditions may lead to more divorces for low-income families and the relatively high mortgage interest rates will lead to fewer divorces for home-owning couples.
Patricia Fersch, Forbes, January 7, 2025
Child custody becomes the new frontier for abusers to seek control over their victims. According to The Center for Relationship Abuse Awareness, “the survivor’s safety is at risk once she threatens to leave and child custody concerns emerge such as the abuser gaining custody which occurs 50% of the time.”
Amy Polacko, Ms. Magazine, January 8, 2025
For years, many have nicknamed January “Divorce Month” and the first working Monday as “Divorce Day,” as if floods of filings hit courthouses across the country right after January 1. But that’s not the case. March is a bigger month for the D-word. August is nothing to sneeze at either, according to a study by the University of Washington. So the author asked: What’s the big deal with January?
Annie Karni, The New York Times, January 11, 2025
There is currently no maternity leave for members of Congress. While they can take time away from the office without sacrificing their pay, they cannot vote if they are not present at the Capitol. To address this, Representative Brittany Pettersen has taken a lead role in a new push by a bipartisan group of younger lawmakers and new parents in Congress to change the rules to allow them to vote remotely while they take up to 12 weeks of parental leave. Representative Mike Lawler stated: “If we talk about being pro-family, you have to at least recognize that giving birth to a child or becoming a parent should not be an impediment to doing your job.”
Alix Strauss, The New York Times, January 14, 2025
Some couples are finding more intimate ways to share their wedding pledges with each other: in private, in written notes — or even in sweats. The online wedding company Zola, which recently surveyed more than 5,000 people with weddings planned for 2025, said in a report that a vast majority of respondents thought exchanging private vows was trending and loved the idea.
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