By Caragh Deery - Law Student @ St Hilda's College, Oxford
The previous position under the law was that marriage was the only relationship formally recognised by the law, or the only so-called "status relationship". There has long been disagreement as to what marriage is, however, the consensus for much of the 20th Century was that marriage was a 'union for life of one man and one woman' (Hyde v Hyde). Fortunately, in recent years, societal attitudes have observed a marked shift towards more liberal views, particularly in the context of same-sex marriage.