Spouse

A spouse is a person’s husband, wife, or other legally recognized partner in a marriage. The term can apply regardless of the partners’ genders.

Marriage: A legally or socially recognized union between people, often creating mutual rights and responsibilities. Spousal status arises through a marriage recognized by the relevant legal or social system.
Marital property: Property subject to ownership or division rules arising from marriage. A spouse’s legal and financial interests may depend on how marital property is defined.
Divorce: The legal dissolution of a marriage. Divorce ends the legal relationship that made the former partners spouses.
Same-sex marriage: Marriage between two people of the same sex, recognized by law in some jurisdictions. Its recognition made spouse a gender-neutral legal role in many jurisdictions.
Civil marriage: A marriage established by government authority rather than solely by a religious institution. It creates spouses through civil law and determines their state-recognized rights.
Inheritance: The transfer of a deceased person’s property to beneficiaries under a will or applicable law. A surviving spouse may inherit under a will or receive a statutory share.
Annulment: A legal determination that a marriage is invalid or voidable under applicable law. Unlike divorce, annulment challenges the marriage’s legal validity.
Civil union: A legally recognized partnership that may provide some or all marriage-like rights, depending on jurisdiction. It illustrates how legal systems distinguish marriage and spousal status from other partnerships.
Common-law marriage: A marriage recognized in some jurisdictions without a formal ceremony or marriage license, when legal requirements are met. It shows that some jurisdictions recognize spouses without a conventional wedding.
Intestate succession: The legal distribution of a person’s estate when they die without a valid will. Many legal systems give a surviving spouse a defined share of an intestate estate.

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Parent-in-lawRelated: A spouse connects someone to the spouse’s mother and father.