Hetrosexual couples in France turn to 'gay' civil partnerships to avoid expensive divorces

Heterosexual couples in France are choosing 'gay' civil partnerships over marriage

Heterosexual lovers in France are increasingly taking part in 'gay' civil partnership ceremonies so as to avoid the future possibility of expensive divorces.



The intriguing development has led to 90 per cent - or 135,000 a year - of so-called ‘solidarity pacts’ being made between people of the opposite sex.

This is despite the fact that they were specifically designed for homosexuals, who are not formally allowed to marry across the Channel.



The Civil Solidarity Pacts, or PACS according to their French language abbreviation, take just 15 minutes and can be performed by a court clerk.

Just as significantly, they can be ended with a single letter from either partner, without any claims on the other’s money or property.

With divorce costs spiralling in France as they are in Britain, such a legal arrangement is particularly attractive to those potentially facing massive payouts if marriages fail.

Currently some 150,000 couples are ‘PACSed’ in France every year, meaning around 135,000 of them are heterosexuals.

The PACS provide near-identical financial and administrative protection as formal marriages, including the possibility of providing joint tax returns and enjoying deductions.



Inheritance laws also favour PACSed couples, allowing property and cash to be passed on as it would be between a husband and wife.



French councils also treat PACSed couples like married couples when assigning benefits or accommodation.



The PACS also allow couples to bypass social and Church conventions, many of which are viewed as outdated by younger generations.



Yves Padovani, chief clerk at the Marseille Palais de Justice, said: ‘It’s a very efficient system, with people booking a slot in advance, and each ceremony taking a few minutes.’



Mr Padovani confirmed that the PACS were introduced 10 years ago so as to legalise unions between gay couples.



In 1999 around 6000 took place, but the annual figure is now 25 times that amount - and steadily rising. The social stigma of being unmarried has now disappeared in France, with 43-year-old Justice Minister Rachida Dati, who is single, this year giving birth while in office.

Ségolène Royal, the Socialist Party presidential candidate who unsuccessfully stood against Nicolas Sarkozy in 2007, is also an unmarried mother of four.



Civil partnerships were made legal in Britain in 2004, giving same-sex couples rights and responsibilities identical to those who have taken part in civil marriages.



This includes the possibility of hugely expensive divorces between any couple who is bonded by a civil partnership.