The Dangers of Cohabitation

In the 1950’s, people married for better or for worse. In the 1960’s, people broke free from that society attempting to assert themselves as free sprits engaging in premarital sex and premarital cohabitation. Today premarital cohabitation is no longer considered a form of rebellion but is a step in a relationship towards marriage. Everyone knows how it is: first you date, fall in love, then move in together, and if that goes well get married. Right? Wrong. “Only about one-sixth of live-ins last at least three years, and only one-tenth endure five years or more, says University of Michigan sociologist Pamela Smock” (Peterson). “Marriages preceded by living together have 50 percent higher disruption rates than marriages without premarital cohabitation” (Kemp). With over 11 million people cohabitating right now this information would seem quite caustic (Solot). This paper researches the reasons why people live together before marriage, who is cohabitating and what happens to ...