A Breach of Contract

 From Everywoman magazine, July 1947, illustrating the inherent misogyny at the heart of marriage arrangements:


"A man I know was "badly treated" by a girl. She first required of him a most expensive courtship, which was ended by an equally lavish engagement ring, and she then proceeded to have all sorts of costly fancies in the fitting up of the new house. About a week before the wedding, however, she got on a plane for New York with a wealthy American.  I hope for his sake he's not the marrying kind. 

Having observed the whole sad story of the engagement from what might be called a ringside seat, I asked a legal brain what redress a man has when thus treated. Can he sue for "breach"? I asked. The reply was - theoretically yes; but he would have to convince a jury that he had really suffered damage in losing the girl, whereas most of them would think that they'd had a terrific stroke of luck.

"So it comes to this", I said, " a girl can get heavy damages if a man lets her down but any man whom a girl jilts is assumed to have had a lucky escape. Is that it?" Well, it is and it isn't- you know how difficult it is to pin a legal brain down.

Perhaps if women had been allowed to earn their own fortunes, breach of promise would never have been a thing.



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