Family Law

Rebecca Probert, Senior Lecturer, University of Warwick. Many cohabitants mistakenly believe they have a 'common-law marriage' which affords them the same rights as married couples. This myth is given weight to by articles in the print media which reference it. The number of articles rebutting the common-law marriage myth are far outweighed by articles referring to it as if it is a given.

This article discusses the way in which the terminology of common-law marriage has been, and continues to be, used in the print media and considers whether the Living Together campaigns aim of eliminating the term common-law marriage from modern parlance has yet been realised.

For the full article see May [2007] Fam Law.