Gay marriage. It's become one of the great political issues of modern times. The Civil Partnership Act 2004, which came into effect in the UK in December 2005, marked a big step forward. Figures show that by July last year, more than 100,000 people had entered a civil partnership.

One of the great advantages of a civil partnership is that same-sex couples are entitled to the same financial rights as married couples under the eyes of the law - for example, the same rights on things such as property, inheritance tax, pension benefits and social security.

However, although the move was welcomed by millions as a step in the right direction, there are still objections that legislation hasn't gone far enough. Some might see civil partnerships as essentially marriage in everything but name, but for others, the fact that gay couples still cannot legally marry is a bar to total equality - as is the fact that a man and a woman can't legally have a civil partnership.

But whatever our opinions on the marriage vs. civil partnership debate, it seems there's one thing we're firmly 'wedded' to in the UK, regardless of gender or sexuality: our bank accounts.

Back in July 2012, Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls claimed that people are more likely to get divorced than switch their bank account. This was based on figures from the Independent Banking Commission's Final Report, which indicated that, on average, account holders switch every 26 years!

…which is a bit of a shame, as there's no particular reason the bank account you've had for years should be the right account for you today. It pays to look around and find out what's out there. One thing that could really help couples - whatever their sexuality - might be a joint bank account.

"You don't have to be married to open an account together," said Ian Williams of thinkmoney, provider of both this analysis – and an innovative alternative to a standard bank account. "You don't have to be in a civil partnership. You don't even have to be a couple: plenty of flatmates, for example, share an account for the sheer convenience it provides.

"After all, people who live together will always have shared bills to deal with, from rent payments to utility bills, furniture to repairs. Having a single common 'pot' can make things a lot simpler: if they each put in a pre-agreed amount every month, they'll know the money's there when it's needed for things that benefit them both.

"As with any partnership, of course, a joint account is something you'd need to enter with eyes wide open. What happens if the account goes overdrawn, for example? What if one of you moves out, loses their job, or runs into serious financial difficulties?

"These are questions you should answer before you decide to open an account together. It'll give you an opportunity to find out about your legal rights and responsibilities - and come to an agreement about how you'd handle the most likely scenarios.

"So really, money management is like so many other aspects of two people's life together: the more thought they put into it ahead of time, the more likely they are to get that 'happily ever after' they're looking for."