Feminist divorce
Sir: Amongst the many interesting figures quoted by Mr Raison (Divorce a la mode, 10 February) the large percentage of di- vorces requested by female partners was not provided. When figures are given it is usually implied, as in the title of Polly Toynbee's article, 'The Worm Turned Syndrome', that the disastrous trend to- wards more divorces is fuelled largely by women's discontent. As one of 370,000 divorced mothers frequently supposed to be asserting some sort of 'feminist' princi- ple in order to enjoy running a family singlehandedly on less than half of its previous income, I would like to question this. I suspect that many divorces 'sought' by female partners seek only to ratify some sort of provision for themselves and their children in the face of an inadequate or absconded daddy.
If 550,000 mothers (of the single and divorced variety) are struggling to raise children alone today, it is clearly nut women who are failing in their obligations but 550,000 absent fathers. To call the present situation part of a 'feminist revolu- tion' (which must presumably have agi- tated for a woman's right to raise children unaided in deprived circumstances) is cruel nonsense. On another tack, as a teacher I am well placed to study the submerged cost of family breakdown. Divorce distress can fill most space available in the mind of a child and I consider that many such children lose most of the benefit of about two years of their education, At puberty, anger and frustration that cannot be safely unleashed at home upon a beleaguered single mother or upon a step-family that must be accommodated, find a convenient release in the classroom, adding to the many current attractions of a life in teaching.
Finola Morgan
80 Hemingford Road, London Ni
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