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Married, civil partnered, or not - the legal
differences
Many
people (61%, according to a recent survey*) mistakenly
believe that simply living together can give you the same rights
as marriage. They believe that 'common-law marriage'
is a recognised legal status. They are wrong.
Others believe that by having a child together they acquire legal rights**, whether married, civil partnered, or not. They too are mistaken.
Only couples who get married or register a civil partnership will acquire legal rights and responsibilities in relation to each other.
We
often don't check out our rights because it seems unromantic,
untrusting even, to raise legal and financial issues.
But exploring the common 'what
ifs …' - those situations that may leave us vulnerable
- before difficulties arise, puts couples and families
on a more secure footing.
Whether you are married, civil partnered or not, on these pages you will find the facts you need to explore the tricky issues.
For more information about research, policy and statistics on cohabitation and marriage visit One Plus One’s online Information Centre on Relationships.
*The
LivingTogether Survey was commissioned by Advicenow.org.uk.
Supported by the Department for Constitutional Affairs
and conducted by NEMS Market Research, the survey asked
1,000 randomly selected people about their perceptions
of the legal issues surrounding cohabitation and marriage.
The survey was carried out during June 2004.
**In a recent study, One Plus One sought to find out what unmarried parents know about their legal rights and examined the impact of providing legal information on knowledge and behaviour. The full report, Informing unmarried parents about their legal rights at birth registration can be downloaded from www.oneplusone.org.uk
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