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Cohabitation

Once unheard of, cohabitation has become an increasingly popular living arrangement for romantically involved couples as a precursor or alternative to marriage. While cohabitation can also refer to the living arrangements of married and same-sex couples, the term commonly refers to an unmarried heterosexual couple who shares a household.

In the past, cohabitation was rarely seen except among some low-income families who had no strong economic incentives to marry. Often viewed as “living in sin,” cohabitation was not an accepted option for most couples. However, the sexual revolution and feminist movement provided increasing acceptance of cohabiting unions in the United States. In the mid-1960s though the mid-1970s, approximately 11% of never-married couples cohabitated prior to marriage. During the 1980s, this rate increased dramatically to approximately 44% of couples before first marriages. The 1990s brought a slight increase to this figure, placing the cohabitation rate at 50%, where it has remained since. Today, over half of marriages start as cohabiting unions in both the United States and in most European nations.

Types of Cohabiters

Sociologists have noted that couples choose to cohabit for a variety of reasons, which shape their relationships in unique ways. Among these, couples may choose to cohabit as a precursor to marriage or as an alternative to marriage. Many young couples hesitate to marry because they feel they are “too young” or that they would like to reach certain life goals prior to marrying, which makes cohabitation a popular choice. It allows a serious continuation of the relationship without having the connotations of marriage attached to it. For most couples, cohabitation is a short-term union. Couples who cohabit generally marry or separate within the first 5 years.

Cohabitation as Precursor to Marriage

For many young couples, cohabitation is a part of the marriage process. Many couples who decide to move in together have talked about becoming engaged, and many have definite plans to marry each other. Many individuals in this group, particularly women, want their partners to be committed to the future of the relationship before living together and often view their cohabitation as a step toward engagement and marriage. These couples tend to cohabit for the shortest periods of time, generally 1 to 2 years before they transition into marriage.

Cohabitation as Alternative to Marriage

Couples who cohabit as an alternative to marriage appear to do so for two distinct reasons. Among low-income couples, socioeconomic considerations cause many to postpone marriage. These couples do not reject marriage. Many of them cohabit, start having families, and desire marriage, but they want to wait to marry until they have achieved certain financial goals, such as having steady employment, a home, or money to host a proper wedding. Some low-income women choose to cohabit instead of rushing into marriage to make sure their partners are committed to the relationships, and raising children if that is the case, for the long term. They view cohabitation as an important way of testing the durability of the relationship and want to avoid the legal ties marriage involves until they are certain of it.

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