Source · Select Committees · Women and Equalities Committee
Recommendation 2
2
Accepted in Part
It is staggering that so many people in England and Wales believe in the common...
Recommendation
It is staggering that so many people in England and Wales believe in the common law marriage myth. This misplaced belief in legal protections can have profound consequences for cohabiting partners—many of whom do not realise the reality of their situation until it is too late. The Government should conduct a public awareness campaign to highlight the legal distinctions between getting married, forming a civil partnership, or choosing to live together as cohabiting partners. (Paragraph 24) Equalities issues
Government response summary AI-generated
The government partially accepts the recommendation, agreeing to reach out to women in religious communities regarding the consequences of non-legally binding weddings, and will consider whether a broader information campaign is appropriate after reviewing the Law Commission report on weddings law.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Accepted in Part
HM Government · verbatim extract
Accepted in Part
We partially accept this recommendation. The Government agrees that it is important that people are aware of the legal distinctions between getting married, forming a civil partnership and living together as cohabitants. The Government further agrees that it is a concern that so many people believe there is such a thing as a ‘common law marriage’, which is an erroneous belief that after a certain amount of time living together, the law treats cohabitants as if they were married. The Government has already demonstrated commitment in this area. The Department for Education’s statutory guidance on relationships education includes the need for schools to ensure that pupils should be aware of what marriage is, including its legal status (for example, that marriage carries legal rights and protections not available to couples who are cohabiting or who have married in an unregistered religious ceremony), why marriage is an important relationship choice for many couples and the characteristics and legal status of other types of long-term relationships. Given the existing action in this space, the Government does not consider a national campaign necessary, however we commit to take further action to consider the best ways to raise awareness about this issue within the context of existing frameworks. This will include considering a review of the information currently available to the public in this sphere, including on Gov.uk, and considering whether better signposting for further information and support could be made available.
Read the full response on Parliament ↗