A marriage of convenience is a marriage made for reasons other than love or commitment. These marriages are often entered into for personal benefit or to achieve a specific goal, such as a political alliance. When a marriage is made without the intention of living together as a couple, and one person gains the right to live in a country, it is called a sham marriage. In some cultures, parents choose spouses for their adult children, and this is known as an arranged marriage.

In ancient Roman Egypt (30 BCE to 395 CE), marriages between brothers and sisters were common. These unions made up about 15 to 21 out of every 100 marriages, often to keep family property together.

Sham marriages and forced arranged marriages are illegal in many places.

Legal loophole

Marriages of convenience are sometimes used to take advantage of legal rules that aren't meant to be used that way. A couple might marry so one person can get citizenship or the right to live in a country, as many nations allow these benefits to people married to citizens. In the United States, this is called a green card marriage. In Australia, some people married for convenience to highlight problems with the government's Youth Allowance laws. On March 31, 2010, two students were legally married on the lawn of the University of Adelaide to qualify for full Youth Allowance payments. During the Vietnam War in the United States, some men married women to avoid being drafted into the military. These marriages usually lasted one year, after which the couples separated and the marriage was legally ended. Advertisements in student newspapers often encouraged this practice. Because these marriages misuse the law, they can lead to serious consequences. For example, U.S. Immigration (USCIS) may fine someone up to $250,000 or imprison them for five years. The term "contract marriage" is used by U.S. military members to describe marriages mainly intended to receive extra pay and housing benefits not normally available to them.

Homosexuality

Another common reason for fake marriages is to hide a partner's homosexuality in places where being openly gay is illegal or harmful. These marriages, sometimes called lavender marriages, are often arranged so people assume the couple is heterosexual. This helps avoid problems from discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals. These marriages can involve one gay and one straight person, or two gay people, such as a lesbian and a gay man. When a gay man marries a straight woman, the woman is sometimes called his "beard." When a lesbian marries a straight man, the man is sometimes called her "merkin."

Metaphorical usage

The term "marriage of convenience" is used as a figure of speech to describe a partnership between groups or individuals who work together for their own benefit, even if they are not naturally suited to cooperate. This can happen when different groups join forces for a shared goal, such as a "national unity government," which occurred in Israel during much of the 1980s and in the United Kingdom during World War II. In some countries with a type of government system that includes both a president and a prime minister, such as France, a situation called "cohabitation" can arise when the president and prime minister belong to opposing political groups.

Political marriage

Marriages of convenience, sometimes called political marriages, have been common among royal, aristocratic, and powerful families throughout history to create alliances between strong families. Examples include Agnes of Courtenay, her daughter Sibylla, Jeanne d'Albret, and Catherine of Aragon. Marriage equality was important in royal families, though it was more common in European monarchies than in England and Scotland. Even among nobles who were not rulers, marriages that matched their social standing were considered very important.

Literature

The topic was explored in a literary way through Thomas Mann's 1909 novel Royal Highness, which tells the story of a young, naive prince who chooses to enter a marriage that is not based on love but instead on practical reasons. This marriage eventually becomes happy. The story was inspired by Mann's own marriage to Katia Mann in February 1905, which resulted in six children. This marriage was not motivated by political reasons or equal rights, but by Mann's personal experiences. At the time, being homosexual was illegal and led to being shunned by society. Mann wanted acceptance and the opportunity to start a family, which was also helped by the possibility of receiving a large amount of money from Katia's family. However, Mann's feelings for boys remained, but he expressed them in a non-romantic and non-physical way.