'Cohabitation and the Masterplot of Choice

Hayward, Andy

Abstract

The chapter analyses cohabitation law and policy through the lens of legal narrative and storytelling. Deploying the concept of ‘legal masterplots’ – characterised as super- or meta-narratives that influence and structure our understanding of law – it traces core beliefs and assumptions that have shaped the law’s approach to unmarried couples. The chapter discerns what will be termed the ‘masterplot of choice’, which is an assumption that all cohabitants have made a purposive decision not to marry and, in turn, have expressly rejected legal protection. Noting its dominant influence on how members of the public perceive cohabiting couples, this chapter exposes how this masterplot is deeply connected to prevailing ideological trends such as neoliberalism. By elevating cohabitant choice to the status of a masterplot, it is argued that we can better understand these connections and, in turn, can more effectively confront opposition arguments to reform.

Citation

Hayward, A. (in press). 'Cohabitation and the Masterplot of Choice. In C. Bevan, & D. Gurnham (Eds.), Law, Narrative and Masterplot: New Research Perspectives. Routledge

• Deposit Date: Sep 16, 2024
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Book Title: Law, Narrative and Masterplot: New Research Perspectives
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2864695
• Publisher URL: https://www.routledge.com/
• Contract Date: Sep 11, 2024