A spouse is a partner in a marriage, civil union, domestic partnership or common-law marriage (NB common-law marriage does not exist under English law). The term is gender neutral, whereas a male spouse is a husband and a female spouse is a wife. Although a spouse is a form of significant other, the latter term also includes non-marital partners who play a social role similar to that of a spouse, but do not have rights and duties reserved by law to a spouse.