The divorce rate has been rising throughout the 20th century, with a significant increase in the last 20 years, so that now some 45 per cent of marriages currently end in divorce. How and why has this happened? How has the law and the State changed to accommodate and facilitate this? What changes in society's attitudes have affected family breakdowns? To answer these questions Gibson takes a multi-disciplinary approach to examine the history, demography, sociology, politics and policy of divorce. In this study, the author traces the interaction between social change, marriage patterns, family law and parliamentary legislation from the 18th century to the present. He then looks at family patterns and policy choices; examines such matters as the welfare and financial support of children and their carers in the light of the new Child Support Act; and reviews the two-tier court system for handling the casualties of broken marriages.