Marriage and union is the physical way for people to express love and affection with each other, and although the concept is pure and genuine, it faces quite complicated rules in society. Traditionally, for a couple to be legally recognized as a married pair, they would have to consist of a male and female generally over the age of 18 (with some exceptions, such as state or mutual parental consents). The two cannot be blood relatives, nor can either one of the two already be legally married to another person. Furthermore, the two must have the mental capacity to enter a marriage license or certificate. Some marriage rights and government benefits that come with marriage are: tax returns when filing joint income tax forms, inheriting a share of the spouse’s wealth, and receiving wages or workers’ compensation for a deceased spouse. As decades and centuries go by though, the forms of partnerships in the United States have slowly expanded but not everyone knows about them and I would like to share a few.
One common form of partnership is called a civil union. Civil unions used to be for same-sex couples as those couples could not be legally married in most states in the US, but besides them, civil unions are growing increasingly popular nowadays with the younger generations and millennials. Part of it may have to do with the increasing divorce rates in recent years; civil unions, because they are not recognized by all states, do not receive all (if any) of the marriage rights and benefits traditional couples do. Even if a civil union were to “divorce,” spouses do not receive a share of the other’s wealth. Only New Jersey now recognizes civil unions now that same-sex marriage is legal.
Another form of partnership is called a domestic partnership. It is largely a symbolic relationship and does not come with any federal rights or benefits outside of the few states that do recognize domestic partnerships, such as Maine. Some employers do offer domestic partner health care benefits. They can still have children, start a family, live their lives, but will need to take exhaustive legal measures to receive protection for their families and may face financial problems as they eventually retire and require healthcare.