Until recently, I had always felt an intrinsic theoretical respect for the law. I felt that it had been established over centuries, had helped to regularize interaction between people, settle disputes impartially and generally existed to protect the most vulnerable in society.
I understood that judges made rulings on cases in which cooperation and compromise had not been reached between two parties. I did not realize however, how serious these judgements could be, nor that amendments and adjustments after a judgement were both time consuming and difficult to make.
Various people around me however, advised me that, interactions and relationships with other people, could because of regulations pertaining to common law unions, effect my status in a relationship within a relatively short time and entitle someone else to a share of my property.
I was not aware that various types of new arrangements in family composition had over the past decades created significant legal changes.
A new show is about to premiere shortly about Living at Home with your Parents - Forever. Clearly more had happened to change family living arrangements than I ever imagined.
For example, many women are now considered single parents. The never married mother is sometimes ludicrously placed next to the widow; as if there was any relation whatsoever between them, in the way they conducted 'their affairs'.
Meanwhile, many adult children have either never left their parental homes or have returned after they had completed their education. Other adult children have returned alone or with the grandchildren in tow, after a divorce. In addition, in the past decade or more, a considerable number of grandparents are raising their grandchildren themselves.
Ageing parents affairs, are now often legally administered and directed by one or more of their adult children. When they want or need to go to a retirement or long term care residence, their houses are sold and their children often obtain power of attorney over their affairs.
Statistics show that more relationships are ending within a short time, perhaps because the participants can not form a life together, have different expectations that do not mesh well together or simply because people leave situations they no longer want to be in more easily.
Average working people are getting pre-nuptial agreements prior to living together, whether they ever intend to marry or not. While to me this would be a recipe anticipating separation, for others, it seems a logical measure which protects each person's assets better than an informal arrangement would.
Nevertheless, people still seem to want to be together. Perhaps what we are seeing is a new way to reassure everyone that the law will ensure that neither party will be cheated financially. The courts must have decided that they no longer cared about anyone's responsibility for the dissolution of a marriage; once the financial responsibilities were laid out, dependents were protected and the former couple could let their money keep them warm at night.
SEE ALSO: ALL I WANT IS A LITTLE RESPECT
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