“So many women stay in destructive relationships because they will be homeless, with their children, if they leave—or can’t support themselves and their children,” says Joan Meier, a George Washington University law professor and founder of the Domestic Violence Legal Empowerment and Appeals Project. “Divorce financial distributions need to be much fairer, taking into account the ways women give up economic capacity to raise kids. Nowadays women almost never get alimony (by a judge) and child support is often minimal, especially if the father fights and wins joint custody.” Of course, policy changes that tend to help women financially—raising the minimum wage, guaranteed paid family and medical leave—can make a difference
