There are many statistics, studies and facts about cohabiting couples. Many tend to conclude that those who cohabit are at a higher risk of divorce. Decide to live together without marrying or living together to "road-test" marriage is a very individual choice. Taking a look at the advantages and disadvantages is useful so you can make the most informed decision for you.
the National Institute of child health and human development reports:
"cohabitation, once rare, is now the norm: the researchers found that over half (54 per cent ) of all first marriages between 190 and 1994 began with unmarried cohabitation. They believe that the majority of young men and women of marriageable age now spend some time in a cohabiting relationship.
"... cohabiting relationships are less stable than marriages and instabiilty is increasing"
cohabitation Facts
- Living together is considered more stressful that being married.
- a little over 50% of the first cohabiting couples never marry.
- in the US and the UK, couples who live together are at a greater risk for divorce than non-cohabiting couples.
- couples who lived together before marriage tend to divorce early in their marriage. If their marriage last seven years, their risk of divorce is the same that couples who cohabit before marriage.
- cohabiting couples had a separation rate five times that of married couples and a rate of reconciliation that was one -Third that of married couples.
- cohabiting couples are more likely to experience infidelity.
- Compared to those planning to marry, those who cohabit have poorer overall quality of the relationship. They tend to have more fights and violence and happiness least reported.
- cohabiting couples earn less and are less wealthy than their married counterparts later in life.
- Compared with married people, those who live together have higher levels of depression and abuse of substnace.
Cohabitation Facts You rarely hear about
- In France and Germany cohabiting couples have a risk slightly lower divorce.
- If cohabitation is limited to future spouse of a person and it is expected to marry, there is no higher risk of divorce.
- in the US, cohabiting couples who follow education courses before marriage or the board are not at a higher risk of divorce.
The decision to live with your significant other is up to you both as a couple. It is not a good idea to ignore several models and problems with the first concept. You really need to think about your motivation for living together. Is it just for convenience? Is it to spend more time together? You are uncertain about the relationship and want to make a more informed decision? Or, is it just a prelude to marriage? Keep in mind that couples who live together seem to have the most effective results when they have already made a clear commitment to another.
Engaged couples should be aware of "the inertia effect." It is becoming more difficult to break because of your largest investment in the relationship over time. What happens is that a couple who would otherwise not have married so slowly sliding into marriage anyway. those living together to marriage are not in danger, but only those without a clear management commitment.
Sources:
Marriage, a History: from obedience to Intimacy or how Love Conquered Marriage by Stephanie Coontz
premarital sex, premarital cohabitation, and the risk of dissolution of marriage later in women by Jay Teachman
Is Protect against that cohabitation divorce by Glenn T. Stanton
Towards a better understanding of the cohabitation effect premarital cohabitation and family communication by Catherine Stacey L. Cohan and Kleinbaumb
premarital cohabitation and family stability by Ruth Weston, Lixia Qu and David de Vaus
cohabitation vs. Marriage: How the choice result of life forms of love on FamilyFacts.org
the hidden risk of cohabitation by Dr. Scott Stanley
If you move together or not? by Dr. Theresa di Donato
Article updated by Marni Feuerman
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