经济学人287:离婚 依法力争

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　　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 jurisdiction¹ 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。

　　离婚问题.jpg

　　A court ruling on February 23rd has nonetheless continued a recent trend of tilting² 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, aged³ ten, at home) even to look for work. She lost, on appeal. Lord Justice Pitchford said Mr Wright's payments should taper⁴ off as he neared retirement⁵ 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 landmark⁶ 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 applied⁷ 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 dent⁸ London's attraction as a global centre for divorce. English divorce law, with its bespoke⁹ solutions reached after costly¹⁰ legal wrangling¹¹, 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。

　　1.bring up 养育；提出；谈到

　　Many women still take career breaks to bring up children.

　　仍然有许多女性为了抚养孩子而离职。

　　It's hard for the baby to bring up wind.

　　婴儿不容易打出嗝来。

　　2.set out 动身；出发

　　A string of five rowing boats set out from the opposite bank.

　　5只划艇排成一行从对岸出发了。

　　We set out on this voyage of exploration with an open mind.

　　我们以开放的心态开始了这次探索之旅。

　　3.apply to 适用于；运用

　　Find out ahead of time what regulations apply to your situation.

　　提前搞清楚什么规章适用于你的情况。

　　Similar arrangements apply to students who are ordinarily resident in Scotland.

　　类似的安排适用于长期居住在苏格兰的学生。

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