My Final Thoughts

As a student, it has been intriguing to learn more about Dr. Lenore Weitzman and her work as a female sociologist. As I began my research, I came across several harsh treatments of Weitzman’s work- specifically a statistic included in The Divorce Revolution about the different economic consequences of divorce on men and women. It is perhaps as a result of this animosity that Weitzman herself has no website and is careful to keep many details about her life off the internet. It is my hope that this project provides a few more positive resources for persons interested in Dr. Weitzman and her work while simultaneously maintaining her wish for privacy.

Reading The Divorce Revolution and To Love, Trust, and Obey? has really allowed me to see the tremendous positive changes that resolute and hardworking women like Weitzman have helped to bring about- even within my own lifetime. I was repeatedly surprised to hear about laws and systems (such as even the existence of a fault-based system for divorce, and the transition to no-fault divorce) that seem blatantly unjust to me, yet were the norm for a long period of time, and began changing not too long ago. While I had heard the term ‘pre-marital contract’ used occasionally, I am not aware of any married couples who have entered into such a contract, nor did I have more than a vague notion of what they actually are before I read Weitzman’s works. As someone who considers herself among the educated, it was distressing to me that my ignorance of such marital options probably indicates widespread unawareness. Unawareness is perhaps one of the greatest oppressing forces hindering the advancement of women’s status and alternative family forms, because if only those who are encountering problems speak for change on an issue, the minorities will always bend to the louder voice of the majority. I am grateful that reading Weitzman’s works has allowed me to contribute a voice that is more aware on issues concerning marriage and divorce, and more importantly for igniting my drive to increase that awareness.
In doing this project I have been exposed for the first time to in-depth sociological studies, and found the insights that they drew from numerous interviews to be an interesting and helpful method. The book Women in the Holocaust is one such study, and for obvious reasons the testimonies recounted by its many contributors were uniquely thought-provoking. Also, trying to find out about Lenore Weitzman in any way beyond her published works was quite challenging. There are very few online resources about her, and in the short verbal contact I was able to make with her I found that this is probably due to her preferred and conscious limiting of it. Based on some of the more critical reviews I did find on The Divorce Revolution, I wonder if some of the strict maintenance of privacy is related to some form of past harassment. In any case, this project has taught me a lot about the field of sociology and the type of work that is able to be done via an interview process.