Abstinence
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Matters - Sexual Assault - Cohabitation
COHABITATION:
Should
We Live Together? Second Edition
What Young Adults Need to Know About Cohabitation Before Marriage: A Comprehensive
Review of Recent Research. Second Edition.
David Popenoe and Barbara Dafoe Whitehead. 23 pp. June 2002 [PDF]
or [text-only]
Cohabitation is replacing marriage as the first living together experience for young men and women. When blushing brides walk down the aisle at the beginning of the new millennium, well over half have already lived together with a boyfriend. For today’s young adults, the first generation to come of age during the divorce revolution, living together seems like a good way to achieve some of the benefits of marriage and avoid the risk of divorce. Couples who live together can share expenses and learn more about each other. They can find out if their partner has what it takes to be married. If things don’t work out, breaking up is easy to do. Cohabiting couples do not have to seek legal or religious permission to dissolve their union. Not surprisingly, young adults favor cohabitation.
According to surveys, most young people say it is a good idea to live with a person before marrying. But a careful review of the available social science evidence suggests that living together is not a good way to prepare for marriage or to avoid divorce. What’s more, it shows that the rise in cohabitation is not a positive family trend. Cohabiting unions tend to weaken the institution of marriage and pose special risks for women and children. Specifically, the research indicates that:
-
Living together before marriage increases the risk of breaking up after
marriage.
- Living together outside of marriage increases the risk of domestic violence
for women, and the risk of physical and sexual abuse for children.
- Unmarried couples have lower levels of happiness and wellbeing than
married couples.