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Family Secrets: Law and Understandings of Openness in Everyday Relationships

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 October 2009

CAROL SMART
CAROL SMART*
Affiliation:
Co-Director, The Morgan Centre for the Study of Relationships and Personal Life, School of Social Sciences, University of Manchester, Arthur Lewis Building, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL email: carol.smart@manchester.ac.uk
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Abstract

Uncovering old or historical family secrets has become an enjoyable pastime yet in contemporary families the keeping of secrets, especially those relating to reproduction and paternity, is seen increasingly as undesirable. This article explores these issues and the growing tendency for family law and policy to favour exposing genetic truths – seeing this form of scientific veracity as crucial to child welfare and equality. The article explores the changing contexts of family secrets (using data drawn from the Mass Observation Archive) and seeks to locate these secrets in their cultural and historical context. An argument against imposing a simple solution (in the form of genetic truth) onto complex relationships is pursued.

Type
Article
Information
Journal of Social Policy , Volume 38 , Issue 4 , October 2009 , pp. 551 - 567
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

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