评论
打印
Divorce
离婚
Work to rule
依法力争
England becomes a slightly worse place for idle ex-wives
英格兰不再是那些懒散前妻们的理想之地
ENGLAND has long been the jurisdiction of choice for wives who have the luxury of being able to choose where they divorce. English law (Scotland is different) tries to balance lifelong need and fairness. The poorer partner—typically a wife bringing up children—can expect housing and many years of income, especially if she has sacrificed her career for the marriage.
英格兰一直以来都是妻子们垂青的辖区，因为她们有可选择在何处离婚的特权。英国法律（和苏格兰法律不同）试图平衡终身需求与公平。夫妻中较为贫穷的一方（尤其是带着孩子的母亲）有希望得到住宿问题的解决和多年的收入，特别是那些为了婚姻牺牲事业的女性。
A court ruling on February 23rd has nonetheless continued a recent trend of tilting the balance a little towards husbands. Tracey Wright objected to her ex-husband's bid to cut her 75,000 ($116,000) annual maintenance, awarded after an 11-year marriage failed in 2008. She argued that she was too busy with the two children (one at boarding school, the other, aged ten, at home) even to look for work. She lost, on appeal. Lord Justice Pitchford said Mr Wright's payments should taper off as he neared retirement and that his ex-wife should get a job.
但是2月23日法院判决近期这种平衡要略微要丈夫一方倾斜。特雷西·怀特反对她前夫请求减少每年给她的75000英镑（约合116000美元），这是自她于2008年结束了11年的婚姻之后的赡养费。她声称因为太忙于照顾两个孩子（一个在寄宿学校，另一个年仅十岁，留在家中）甚至无暇顾及工作。她为此上诉却败诉了。上诉法院法官皮特福德称怀特先生因为快要退休，所以赡养费应该减少，而他的前妻则应该自己找一份工作。
The ruling is a legal landmark chiefly because it sets out a mother's duty at least to have to seek a job as her children grow older. As David Hodson, a specialist lawyer, notes, that principle has long applied to poor women when it comes to claiming welfare benefits. But an ex-wife will still be able to argue that no suitable work is available for her and that she needs her ex-husband's help in order to keep up her own and her children's living standards. Such arguments would cut little ice in most other countries.
这项规定是法律上的里程碑，主要是因为它制定了母亲的责任，至少是她们在孩子长大一些后自己找到一份工作。一位专业律师戴维·霍德森提到，规则一直以来都是在贫穷妇女声讨生活福利之时体现其效力。但是某位前妻仍能打着没有合适工作的旗号，借此向前夫她索要赡养费以保证她和孩子们的生活水平。这种理由在大多数其他国家都不起什么作用。
The ruling will not dent London's attraction as a global centre for divorce. English divorce law, with its bespoke solutions reached after costly legal wrangling, is also likely to remain a luxury service, out of reach to all but the very rich.
这一规定仍不会削弱伦敦作为全球离婚中心的吸引力。伴着高昂的法律纠纷费用之后的定制解决方案，英国的离婚法律同样很可能成为一项奢侈服务，非富贵之人不可承受。译者：邵夏沁 校对：张娣
译文属译生译世
