Difference between revisions of "Family Relationships"

}}People in virtually any kind of relationship can wind up having a family law problem. Some people are married, others have lived together long enough to qualify as spouses without being married, while others are in shorter relationships, perhaps lasting for only one night, which produce children.  

Family law isn't just about relationships between spouses or parents. It also concerns the relationships between grandchildren and grandparents, between nieces and nephews and aunts and uncles, and between children and other adults with significant roles in their lives.

The first part of this chapter (the part you're reading now) focuses on the different kinds of family relationships recognized by the ''[[Family Law Act]]''. In this part you'll learn about the range of family relationships, and how the law impacts on people in these relationships. Some urban myths about married and unmarried relationships are also discussed. More detail about the legal rights and duties involved in [[Marriage & Married Spouses|married relationships]], [[Unmarried Spouses|unmarried spousal relationships]], and relationships involving [[Other Unmarried Relationships|unmarried people who have had a child but never lived together]] is dealt with in later parts.  

The second part of this chapter, [[Marriage & Married Spouses]] addresses the legal aspects of marriage that result in some differences between married and unmarried couples (people who have cohabited for two years or more). Note that there are very few differences anymore in the rights and obligations of married couples and those that have cohabited in a marriage-like relationship for two years or more.  

The third part of this chapter, [[Unmarried Spouses]], talks about how people become ''spouses'' when they do not go through the formalities of a marriage. It covers the consequences of living together in a ''marriage-like relationship'' for more than two years and other relevant issues, such as government benefits entitlements and the legal consequences of a relationship breakdown for unmarried spouses.

 

Part four, [[Other Unmarried Relationships]], addresses common misunderstandings around married and unmarried relationships. It offers a discussion of rights and responsibilities for those who've lived together for ''fewer'' than two years. Rights relating to children, protection orders, and spousal support (where there are children born of the relationship), is included.

 

Part five, talks about the claims a child's [[Children's Caregivers and Extended Family|caregivers and extended family members]] can make. Part six deals with [[Adoption|adoption]], and part seven deals with [[Parentage and Assisted Reproduction|parentage and assisted reproduction]].

To be able to marry, the parties must be, among other things, unmarried, sane, relatively sober, and over a certain age. They must also be married by a person properly licensed to conduct marriages, who is either a civil marriage commissioner or an authorized religious official. The process for getting married in British Columbia is described in detail in the [[Marriage & Married Spouses]] part of this chapter, which has more information about the law relating to marriage.