Government rejects law reforms for cohabiting couples
Since 1996, the number of couples living together without getting married has increased by 144% – with 3.6 million couples cohabiting by 2021. Despite living together for years and often acquiring property and having children, unmarried cohabitants don’t have the same legal protections as people who are married or in civil partnerships.
This led the Women and Equalities Committee to call for family law reforms, publishing a report in August 2022 that proposed changes to improve financial protections for cohabitants and their children if their relationship ends.
Despite agreeing that cohabitation laws are outdated, the UK government made the controversial move of rejecting the reform proposals, stating that they need to finish reforming marriage and divorce laws before they can consider cohabitation.