A full history of the development of the law relating to the family. The book draws extensively on published and unpublished materials, shows the factors which have influenced change and seeks to put the law fully into its social and historical context.

This book is based on the Clarendon Lectures in Law given in October 2005. The book deals with the remarkable change in society's attitude to homosexuality since the 1960's, and the 2005 Civil Partnership Act, which creates a framework in which same-sex couples can have their relationship legally recognised in much the same way as heterosexual marriage. It examines questions such as what are the essentials of the civil partnership relationship? Do civil partnerships really provide for a 'gay marriage', and if not, will they satisfy the demands for equality increasingly being made by the gay...