This document discusses party autonomy in international family law from an economic perspective. It begins by outlining the expansion of party autonomy in international family law to allow choice of law regarding matrimonial property, divorce, and other areas. It then examines whether marriage can be viewed as a long-term contract by analyzing specialization and investment theories. While economic justifications support party autonomy, there are also limitations like information asymmetries and externalities. The document also argues marriage is more than just a contract, as it acts as a signal to an audience. This signaling function of marriage has implications for how party autonomy could potentially be expanded or restricted regarding issues like custody, divorce, matrimonial property, and maintenance.