A civil partnership is a legally recognised union between two people, offering similar rights and responsibilities to those of marriage but without the religious connotations.
Introduced in the UK with the Civil Partnership Act 2004, it initially provided same-sex couples with legal recognition and equal treatment in areas such as inheritance, tax, and parental responsibilities, at a time when same-sex marriage was not yet legal. In 2019, the law was extended to include opposite-sex couples, allowing them to form civil partnerships as an alternative to marriage.
In GCSE Sociology, understanding civil partnerships helps explore themes of family diversity, legal recognition of relationships, and evolving societal norms.
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