Family Law and Family Realities contains a selection of papers presented at the 16th World Conference of the International Society of Family Law (ISFL) that took place in 2017 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The central theme of this volume is whether international and national family laws still adequately reflect changing family realities. The issues are examined in different geographical, political, social, cultural and religious settings, giving insight into how family laws relate to the actual practices and needs of different types of traditional and non-traditional families and to the distinct needs of vulnerable family members.
Contributors come from Western and Eastern Europe, Israel, Africa, North and South America, Australasia and Asia. Specific topics addressed in the early chapters include cohabitation, same-sex relationships, polyamory, stepfamilies, ART, and the financial and parenting issues raised by divorce. Subsequent chapters deal with a wide range of new issues related to protecting the interests of children (e.g. cultural identity, gender identity, migration, the internet) and to providing care for the elderly and persons with disabilities.