The report Another Year On, authored by the community service organisation Citizens Advice Bureau, explores the impact and unforeseen consequences of the UK Civil Partnership Act 2005.
The report found that the term "civil partnership" has created a second class that results in same-sex couples being inadvertently “outed” owing to the generic nature of employer and bank forms.
It also found that because of the difference in terms and despite both marriage and partnerships having the same legal status, many people still don’t know how to refer to their circumstance in social situations.
"People are struggling with the ambiguity of language surrounding civil partnerships...due to a lack of conversational terms that are equivalent to the terms of marriage", the report said.
"Some individuals still find it difficult to discuss their same-sex relationship with friends and family, so confusion in communication compounds what is already for some, quite a delicate situation."
The report reveals that while many same-sex couples, who are in or who are planning Civil Partnerships, find there are many benefits to Civil Partnership, there are still potential emotional, financial and social costs to be aware of.
The report has mirrored complaints by same-sex couples in the US who say civil unions in the three states where they are legal are not working.
Sweden is also set to abolish its civil union (registered partnership) scheme for same-sex couples and replace it with civil marriage early next year, with a parliamentary committee finding civil unions to be "outdated".
