sometimes said to be his "beard", while in the case where a lesbian marries a man, the man is sometimes said to be her "merkin". Metaphorical usage The phrase "marriage of convenience" has also been generalized to mean any partnership between groups or individuals for their mutual (and sometimes illegitimate) benefit, or between groups or individuals otherwise unsuited to working together. An example would be a "national unity government", as existed in Israel during much of the 1980s or in the United Kingdom during World War II. More specifically, cohabitation refers to a political situation which can occur in countries with a semi-presidential system (especially France), where the president and the prime minister belong to opposed political camps. Political marriage Marriages of convenience, often termed marriages of state, have always been commonplace in royal, aristocratic, and otherwise powerful families, to make alliances between two powerful houses. Examples include the marriages of Agnes of Courtenay, her daughter Sibylla, Jeanne d'Albret, and Catherine of Aragon. See also Abuse Basic Allowance for Housing Child abuse Child neglect Child marriage Forced marriage Lavender marriage Marriage of state Arranged marriage References Further reading Jones, James A., "The Immigration Marriage Fraud Amendments: Sham Marriages or Sham Legislation?", Florida State University Law Review, 1997 Seminara, David, "Hello, I Love You, Won’t You Tell Me Your Name: Inside the Green Card Marriage Phenomenon", Center for Immigration Studies, Washington, D.C., November 2008 Winston, Ali, "Marrying For Love?: You'll Have To Prove It", City Limits News, New York, Monday, Jul 28, 2008 Winter, Jana, "EXCLUSIVE: Aide to Harry Reid Lied to Feds, Submitted False Documents About Sham Marriage", Fox News, October 25, 2010 Academic article on political discourse & policies on forced and fraudulent marriages in the Netherlands: Bonjour&De Hart 2013, "A proper wife, a proper marriage. Constructions of 'us' and 'them' in Dutch family migration policy", European Journal of Women's Studies Hill, S. "The European Economic Area and Marriages of Convenience", Thomas Bingham Chambers, London, Thursday, April 2, 2015 Eli Coleman PhD (1989) The Married Lesbian, Marriage & Family Review, 14:3-4, 119-135, DOI: 10.1300/J002v14n03_06 External links Family law Types of marriage