When divorce occurred, women’s greatest fear was of economic deprivation. Men’s was of emotional deprivation. Stage II divorce laws helped Alice make a transition from economic dependence to economic independence. No Stage II laws helped Jack make a transition from emotional dependence to emotional independence. (Which is why Alice rushed to a court for economic support and Jack rushed to a woman for emotional support ) When divorces meant that husbands no longer guaranteed women economic security, the government became the substitute husband. It guaranteed women equality’ in pay and an advantage in hiring (affirmative action). It gave women Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC); it provided special programs for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), it gave women the preference for keeping children and then garnisheed men’s wages if child support was not paid, it gave special opportunities for women in college, women in the armed services, women artists, women in small businesses, it severed him from future services from her.
Alice used to have only one option for economic security and Jack only one option for emotional security Now Alice has multiple options for economic security (income via career, husband, or government) while Jack has fewer than one: income via career minus child support, minus alimony, and minus higher taxes to pay’ for the government as substitute husband. All of this kept him a prisoner of money’, barred from exploring his inner self.