Domestic partnership

A legally recognized relationship that gives partners selected legal rights and responsibilities, often without the full status of marriage. Its scope depends on the jurisdiction and may be limited to particular benefits.

Marriage: A legally recognized union that creates a defined set of rights and responsibilities between spouses. Domestic partnerships often provide a narrower alternative to this legal status.
Health insurance: Coverage that pays for medical care under an insurance policy or public program. Some employers extend partner coverage to registered domestic partners.
Same-sex marriage: Marriage between two people of the same sex, legally recognized in many jurisdictions. Marriage equality changed whether same-sex couples needed a separate partnership status.
Marriage equality: The principle and legal practice of granting same-sex couples access to civil marriage on equal terms. Equal access to marriage reduced the need for a separate status for many couples.
Civil union: A legally recognized partnership that grants couples a package of rights, often similar to marriage. It is a neighboring status whose scope can overlap with domestic partnership.
Hospital visitation: Permission to visit a patient in a healthcare facility under applicable law and facility rules. Recognition may help establish a partner’s access, though policies and laws vary.
Civil marriage: A marriage established by a state or other civil authority rather than solely through a religious institution. Unlike a limited partnership status, it generally carries the jurisdiction’s full civil marital rights.
Obergefell v. Hodges: The 2015 United States Supreme Court decision recognizing a constitutional right to same-sex marriage. The ruling reshaped the role of domestic partnerships for same-sex couples in the United States.
Common-law marriage: A marriage recognized in some jurisdictions through the couple's conduct and circumstances rather than a formal ceremony. It may be confused with partnership, but it can create marital status without registration.
Inheritance: The transfer of a deceased person's property under a will or succession law. A partnership may affect inheritance rights, but often less than marriage does.

Linked from 7 pages

SpouseCompared with: It can grant similar protections while remaining distinct from marriage and spousal status.