Polyamorous Relationships
Polyamorous relationships are relationships involving more than two adults; someone who identifies as polyamorous is or prefers to be in a relationship with more than one other person at a time. Polyamorous relationships are tremendously diverse. They may include adults who are married to each other and adults who have had children together. The people in a polyamorous relationship may or may not identify as a family, they may or may not live together, and they may or may not own property together. Not only are polyamorous relationships diverse, they are complicated.
This section provides an introduction to polyamorous relationships and how polyamorous relationships work in the context of family law. Because each province and territory has its own laws about who is entitled to parent children, ask for child support, ask for spousal support, and ask to divide property, the information in this page only applies to people who live in British Columbia. If you live outside of British Columbia and are entering or leaving a polyamorous relationship, you must speak to a family law lawyer in your area for accurate information about how family law may impact you and your relationship.
Introduction
Polyamorous relationships vary in terms of people's expectations of commitment, interdependence, and sexual and emotional fidelity. An individual may be simultaneously involved in two or more romantic relationships without those people being in a relationship with each other, or significant, committed relationships may exist among everyone involved. An individual may be involved in a core pair or polyamorous relationship that is committed and enduring, while one or more members of that relationship maintain peripheral sexual relationships with others. Or, an individual may be involved in a number of concurrent relationships that are more sexual than romantic in nature and involve a lesser sense of interdependence. It's safe to say that no two polyamorous relationships are exactly alike.
Polyamorous relationships have likely existed from the dawn of human history. Even though pair relationships have dominated Western culture since the days of the Ancient Greeks and Romans, polygamous marriages are permitted by law and remain important parts of the cultural fabric in many countries — particularly in western Africa and in nations governed by sharia law — and are socially accepted but neither legalized nor criminalized in others.
Resources and links
Legislation
- Family Law Act
- Family Law Act Regulation
- Divorce Act
- Income Tax Act
- Wills, Estates and Succession Act
- Adult Guardianship Act
- Old Age Security Act
- Employment and Assistance Act
- Canada Pension Plan
Links
- Legal Services Society's Family Law website's common questions on Finances & Support
- See "How is property divided when a common-law relationship ends?" under the heading "Common questions"
- Canada Pension Plan Survivor's Pension
- Legal Services Society's Family Law website's information page "Going through separation"
- See "Proving you're separated if you and your spouse still live together"
| This information applies to British Columbia, Canada. Last reviewed for legal accuracy by JP Boyd, 27 February 2020. |
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 JP Boyd on Family Law © John-Paul Boyd and Courthouse Libraries BC is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 Canada Licence.
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