spousal

Spousal is an adjective relating to a spouse, that is, a husband or wife, and is used in legal, sociological, and policy discussions to indicate something associated with the marriage relationship. The term often appears in phrases that describe rights, responsibilities, or privileges connected to marriage.

In legal contexts, spousal concepts include rights and obligations that arise from marriage, such as property ownership, taxation, inheritance, and survivor benefits. Spousal support or maintenance refers to financial payments from one former spouse to the other after separation or divorce, with terms determined by law or court order and varying by jurisdiction. Spousal privilege refers to legal protections that cover confidential communications between spouses during certain proceedings; the scope and exceptions of this privilege differ among legal systems.

In policy and social discourse, spousal terminology appears in discussions of marital law, family benefits, health coverage, and immigration provisions, where eligibility or coverage may depend on marital status or the existence of a spouse. Spousal coordination of benefits, insurance, and pensions are common contexts in which the term is encountered.

Common collocations include spousal consent, spousal maintenance, spousal abuse, spousal benefits, and spousal coverage. While the core idea is consistent—relating to a spouse—the exact rights, privileges, and duties connected with the term vary widely across countries and cultures, reflecting different legal frameworks and social norms.

See also: marriage, family law, divorce, civil partnership, domestic partnership, spousal privilege, spousal support.