The panel addresses the relationship between law,
commitment and financial ties. In the old days, marriage was seen as necessary
to marshal the resources to deal with childrearing given what was thought to be
the intrinsic dependence of caretakers and children. Marriage also cemented the
relationship between two family lines in thinking about inheritance, succession
to estates or the grandparents' investment in the next generation. How do we
think of these issues today? The panel brings together perspectives on same-sex
families, the different legacies of slavery in the United States and Jamaica,
and the impact of greater financial insecurity on all couples in exploring a
socioeconomic perspective of intimate relationships.