A marriage of convenience (plural marriages of convenience) is a marriage contracted for reasons other than the traditional reasons of love or family. Instead, such a marriage is orchestrated for personal gain or some other sort of strategic purpose. Marriage is a relationship between individuals which has formed the foundation of the family for most societies. ...

Historically, marriages were often arranged between families in order to protect wealth, title, inheritance, or similar issues of property. Such marriages went forward with little or no consideration of love between the people to be married. A well-known fictional example is the dilemma faced by Rose, the central character in the 1997 film Titanic. Such arranged marriages remain common in many parts of the world to this day, famously India and other parts of East Asia. Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater Rose DeWitt Bukater is the fictional heroine of James Camerons 1997 blockbuster Titanic. ... Titanic is a 1997 dramatic film released by Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Fox. ... An arranged marriage is a marriage in which the marital partners are chosen by others based on considerations other than the pre-existing mutual attraction of the partners. ...

In more modern times, marriages of convenience are contracted, for example, for reasons of citizenship or right of abode or, in situations where homosexuality is punishable or potentially detrimental, to create the appearance of heterosexuality. Such marriages may have one heterosexual and one homosexual partner, or two homosexual partners. In the case where a gay man marries a woman, the woman is said to be his "beard." Both Oscar Wilde and Cole Porter are said to have had marriages of convenience to hide their homosexuality. See also Lavender marriage. Citizenship is membership in a political community (originally a city but now usually a state) and carries with it rights to political participation; a person having such membership is a citizen. ... The right of abode refers to an individuals freedom from immigration control in a particular country. ... Gay slang (sometimes gayspeak) refers to slang used predominantly among gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgendered people (see also: Polari). ... Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal OFlahertie Wills Wilde (October 16, 1854 – November 30, 1900) was an Anglo-Irish playwright, novelist, poet, and short story writer. ... Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter from Indiana. ... Lavender marriage is a term coined to describe a marriage between a man and a woman, in which one or both parties are, or are assumed to be homosexual. ...

The phrase "marriage of convenience" has also been generalised 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 1970s or in Second World War Great Britain. Another example on a smaller scale would be the ongoing effective coalition between the Liberal Party of Australia's Campbell Newman and the Australian Labor Party-dominated Brisbane City Council. National Governments or National Unity Governments are broad coalition governments consisting of all parties (or all major parties) in the legislature and are often formed during times of war or national emergency. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... A coalition is an alliance between entities, during which they cooperate in joint action, each in their own self-interest. ... The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian liberal conservative political party. ... Campbell Newman became Brisbanes Lord Mayor in 2004 following the defeat of Tim Quinn. ... The Australian Labor Party or ALP is Australias oldest political party. ... Flag of Brisbane City Council The Brisbane City Council is the governing council for Brisbane, which the capital of Queensland, Australia. ...

Such partnerships are often referred to jokingly as "marriages of inconvenience", particularly where real co-operation between the parties is absent.

The phrase is a calque of French mariage de convenance - a marriage of convention, or marriage of suitability. In linguistics, a calque (pronounced [kælk]) or loan translation (itself a calque of German Lehnübersetzung) is a phrase borrowed from another language by literal word-for-word translation. ...

The 1995-1997 Fox network sitcom Ned and Stacey is based on a marriage of convenience between the two title characters. 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Fox Broadcasting Company is a television network in the United States. ... A sitcom or situation comedy is a genre of comedy performance originally devised for radio but today typically found on television. ... Ned and Stacey was a US television sitcom that aired on the FOX network from 1995 to 1997. ...