Domestic Partner Benefits

Domestic Partner Benefits According to Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, a family is "the basic unit in society having as its nucleus two or more adults living together and cooperating in the care and rearing of their own or adopted children." Despite this definition, a lesbian or gay couple or two heterosexuals living together with or without children is not the image conjured up when most people think of a family. Who gets to decide what it takes to make up a family? When two or more people love and take care and accept responsibility for each other and their children if they have them this would seem to be the definition of a family. Insisting that it takes a piece of paper to determine that two individuals are legally considered to be a family seems to be unfair and biased. Not to offer the same benefits based on whether a couple has a marriage license or not is unfair.Cathy Freeman talks to survivors of domestic viole...AsMary Beth Hamilton (2002) states "Plan sponsors usually define domestic partners asunmarried adult couples who live together, are in an exclusive relationship for anextended period of time, and take mutual responsibility for each other's welfare and/orliving expenses" (para 7). There are perks to companies offering domestic partnerbenefits. When a company offers domestic partner benefits, they are allowing thepartner of an unmarried employee to be eligible for all benefits available to the spouse ofa married employee. These benefits can include: medical, dental, disability and lifeinsurance, family and bereavement leave, education and tuition reimbursement, creditunion memberships, relocation and travel expenses, and inclusion of partners in companyevents. However, one benefit that is still not...