G2 Marriage : The Parenting Of Marriage In The Family

When they cohabitate, they learn each other behaviors in terms of personal characteristics and develop strategies to work together and also respect each other. Many young people plan to stay together to see if they can really put up with each other after marriage. In the process,

Cohabitation is often the reason behind which long relationships end, and it is not an effective step before marriage.

Many couples find themselves cohabiting today because it is cheaper and more convenient while others take it as a step forward in their committed relationships. Regardless of reason cohabiting has become a union of choice. In recent years cohabitation has transformed from an act of deviance to a norm in many societies. We will be focusing on how time and social change determines cohabitation and divorce.

In this essay, “The Cohabitation Epidemic,” by Neil Clark Warren, is talking about why many people decide to live their lives in cohabitation instead of getting married right away. Older generations would look at cohabiting as being something bad or even immoral. In this century, this epidemic is something common and, notwithstanding, normal. Over the years, the U.S. Census Bureau has kept up with how this lifestyle has evolved. In 1970, they had 1 million people that were “unmarried-partner households,” and that number rose to 3.2 million in 1990. In the year 2000, they had 11 million people living in those situations.

Conversely, most people perceive marriage as a sanctuary, satisfying the needs of both partners involved. It is one of the most important institutions affecting people’s health and well-being. Firstly, a strong marriage has a dramatic effect on the partners’

Many singles believe that by practicing marriage they will receive the commitment they desire. With this in mind, they move in together intending to tie the knot eventually. Time passes and the couple rarely talks seriously about finalizing the commitment. And so, they often end up cohabiting for a few years until eventually someone gets tired of waiting and leaves. Cohabitation can suppress the development of a higher level of commitment. Sometimes, one or both of the people involved become complacent in the relationship, and without any pressure to move forward, they won't. As social psychologist Dr. Julia Hare puts it, "Why would you go to the store to buy some milk with the cow standing in the living room?" (qtd. "Why...Marriage?" 53). Certainly, to call a marriage successful, it must actually take place.

Once people started to realize they didn’t choose the right person, the divorce rates started going through the roof. Society as a whole, took a step further by introducing cohabitation; Cohabitation allows for more relaxed rules around separation. There is a large financial setback when it comes to divorcing, for example, paying for a divorce lawyer, and separating the properties evenly “Most of our consumers reported paying a total of around $15,500 for their divorces, including $12,800 in attorney's fees.”(Michon, 1) Whereas in a cohabitating union the possessions can be split up whatever way deemed fair without the aid of a costly divorce lawyer. “At the end of a cohabitation relationship, the parties can usually divide property however they wish.” (“Marriage vs. Cohabitation”, 1) When one partner within a relationship starts to question their commitment to the other, it is easier in a cohabitation to have a clean break from each other rather than the resulting problems of a divorce in modern day

Living together before marriage, also known as cohabitation, is more common than it used to be. Back in the biblical days, this was considered a huge sin and people who did this would be shunned from their community. The Bible’s Genesis 2:24. says, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and they shall be one flesh.” This means that couples should not live together before marriage, but sometime between now and the writing of that verse, the message got lost. Either way, people are living together and the reasons why can vary. It is possible that some people start to live with their boyfriend or girlfriend to rebel against their parents or perhaps even God. This is a sad reason to take that step in a relationship, but it does happen. Another reason someone might

With such a high percentage of people reported as cohabiting was surprising to me. Originally I thought the percent of marriages continued to outnumber cohabitating couples. As a result of the high number of Americans cohabitating reported according to the U.S Census, my first questions was, why are couples cohabitating? Currently, there is not a large variety of research about reasons for cohabitation. In fact, society is still trying to understand people’s motives to cohabitate. Based on the research that has been conducted, I ventured out to study this research to discover if my original thoughts and assumptions about factors affecting why people cohabitate matched with this research and more importantly discover factors affecting why people cohabitate.

together in the early 1980 's were between 25 and 34 years old, and an additional

Therefore, living together will ensure the couple whether or not they can get along in the future. Those people consider pre-cohabitation as an effective way to prepare themselves for being a family. According to Popenoe David, “in case the relationship goes sour, they can avoid the trouble, expense and emotional trauma” (4). It is a good idea to live together because if the couples have troubles they can just move out and continue with their separate lives without being obliged to undergo the different procedures of divorce. In the end, perhaps after living with various people, a person will finally find their appropriate partner for marriage and be happy. Popenoe points out that, “living together helps you see past romanticized notions and clue in to what marriage will really be like”(8). Accordingly, choosing reality as a primary factor to determine the result of cohabitation is a wise decision. People who cohabitate get a clue to see whether or not they will be able to share their lives with the partners they have chosen and what kind of disagreements might proceed within the relationship. Overall, the best opportunity of living up to one-another’s assumptions is to apprehend what they really are in advance and know what they care about.

These constraints lead some cohabiting couples to marry, even though they would not have married under other circumstances. On the basis of this framework, Stanley, Rhoades, et al. (2006) argued that couples who are engaged prior to cohabitation, compared with those who are not, should report fewer problems and greater relationship stability following marriage, given that they already have made a major commitment to their partners. Several studies have provided evidence consistent with this hypothesis (Brown, 2004; Rhoades, Stanley, & Markman, 2009).

In todays’ world, with increased incidence of unsuccessful relationship or marriages, there are some people who want/prefer to live together before marriage so that they can understand each other and they don’t have to experience a painful divorce. In my point of view, this is another option/type of marriage. Because if the relationship won’t work successfully then they can separate their ways easily and live happily. By living together before marriage, they have time to know about each other's living style and behavior and their relation get even stronger than before but if it does not work then they can move ahead in their lives before taking a wrong step of living together for the whole life but sometimes living together is against to some family principles, ethics of society, religious point of view. Sometimes these types of relationships are very successful without any regret in life and on the other hand it comes out as an unsuccessful and worst relationship. But I think advantages are more powerful than disadvantages.

Many people who choose to live together before marriage show that they are reluctant to commit to a relationship and want to keep their options open. Apparently they value their autonomy and individuality. However, these

There are several reasons why emerging adults might choose to cohabitate. Living together provides a couple the opportunity to get to know each other better. The information a person learns about their partner’s habits, mannerisms, and everyday life might affect the decision of marriage in the future. Another reason emerging adults choose to cohabitate is financial stability. Since many emerging adults do not have as high-paying jobs as older adults, they tend to have a harder time being able to pay for things. By cohabitating, couples can split the cost of bills, rent, groceries, etc. Although a couple may not be ready for the commitment of marriage, cohabitating is able to take away some of the financial strain they may face. Furthermore, cohabitation does not come with the pressure that a legally binding marriage may have. Few emerging adults are ready to make a lifelong relationship commitment, but they still seek the intimacy and companionship that comes with taking the next step in their relationship. Cohabitation provides a transitional stage into marriage that helps couples