title: Enduring love? Attitudes to family and inheritance law in England and Wales.
abstract: This paper reports on the findings from a large-scale study of public attitudes to inheritance law, particularly the rules on intestacy. It argues that far from the assumption that the family' is in terminal decline, people in England and Wales still view their most important relationships, at least for the purposes of inheritance law, as centred on a narrow, nuclear family model. However, there is also widespread acceptance of re-partnering and cohabitation, producing generally high levels of support for including cohabitants in the intestacy rules and for ensuring that children from former relationships are protected. We argue that these views are underpinned by a continuing sense of responsibility to the members of one's nuclear family, arising from notions of sharing and commitment, dependency and support, and a sense of lineage.
authors.affiliation: Cardiff University.
authors.forename: Gillian
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Douglas
authors.forename: Hilary
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Woodward
authors.forename: Alun
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Humphrey
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mills
authors.forename: Gareth
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Morrell
mesh_terms: D003466:Cultural Characteristics / Q000266:history; D004739:England / Q000208:ethnology; D019260:Expressed Emotion; D005190:Family / Q000208:ethnology / Q000266:history / Q000523:psychology; D005195:Family Relations / Q000208:ethnology / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D049671:History, 18th Century; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D009679:Nuclear Family / Q000208:ethnology / Q000266:history / Q000523:psychology; D012922:Social Change / Q000266:history; D012941:Social Responsibility; D012945:Social Values / Q000208:ethnology / Q000266:history; D014852:Wales / Q000208:ethnology; D014918:Wills / Q000191:economics / Q000208:ethnology / Q000266:history / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000523:psychology