Co-Habitation

A detailed Summary of Co-Habitation

Living together before marriage is quickly becoming a preferred lifestyle in America. Some people consider this "living in sin," others call it "living in unwedded bliss." Every year more unwedded couples make the choice to live with each other before the marriage. Recent figures show, the number of cohabiting couples has steadily increased 700% since the 1960s. During the 1960s, there were one cohabiting couple for every ninety married couples. Today those figures are one cohabiting couple for every twelve married couples. If this trend continues, in America there will be seven married couples for each cohabiting couple in 2010 (A Few Facts). For some people living together is a good idea, but for those who wish to remain married for life, cohabitation may not be the best choice because statistics indicate it increases their chances of divorce.

Cohabitation is defined by The American Heritage Dictionary as ". . . [living] together in a sexual relationship when not legally married. Current figures suggest that approximately 2/3 of the U.S. population will live with their partner before marriage (Jabusch 14). This rise in cohabitation indicates that people want intimate relationships, but prefer them to be more flexible and

less binding than marriage. Possible reasons for increased cohabitation include career or educational commitments, improved birth control, an increased tolerance from the society, and a desire for a stable relationship without legal requirements.

Some cohabitants experience problems with their parents who disapprove of their living situation. For example, when visiting their parents, they are often required to sleep in different bedrooms. People who choose to live with one another without a marriage license also do not benefit from their partner's health insurance, social security, and retirement benefits.

Every couple has their reasons for living together. Many are engaged and figure they may as well move in with each other. However, most people choose cohabitation because they see it as a great way to save money and learn more about themselves and each other. Cohabitation allows an individual to experience such as values, habits, reactions, behavioral patterns, and overall relationship requirements. Therefore a couple could mutually end an unsatisfactory relationship before committing to marriage. Cohabitation is considered less stressful and less expensive than legally ending a failed relationship with a divorce.

The idea of cohabitating before marriage is not a good plan, especially if the couple is using cohabitation as a trial marriage. There is absolutely no evidence that suggests that living together improves the chances of having a more successful marriage. In fact, current research proves cohabitation is not a good idea because cohabiters have a surprisingly high divorce rates. A cohabiting relationship is much less stable than marr

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Category: People