Abstract:
This paper will examines the concept of cohabitation as a form of relationship and the reasons why people prefer co-habitation relationship to formal marriage, including its social appeal. Furthermore, the paper attempts to proffer reasons why people choose co-habitation by examining the role agents of socialization-family, peer and education and mass media play in the decision making process of people who chose this type of relationship, including an explanation of the main differences between marriage and cohabitation. Finally, the paper concludes with reasons why and if, co-habitation is an alternative to marital relationships.
Introduction:
From the outset of this paper, it will be useful to clarify what this paper seeks to
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What is cohabitation? According to Knox, “co-habitation involves two adults that are unrelated by blood or by law and are involved in an emotional and sexual relationship”. In addition, “people involved in cohabitation must sleep in the same residence at least four nights a week for three months” for such relationship to qualify as cohabitation. Kuperberg, A, in his research survey, in order to properly define the target audience of the research survey lends support to this definition or characteristic of people who cohabitates were “identified by the question “Some couples live together without being married. By living together, we mean having a sexual relationship while sharing the same usual address”. Guzzo, K. B explained that, “Cohabitation is now the modal first union for young adults and most marriages are preceded by cohabitation even as fewer cohabitations transition to marriage” and according to García Pereiro, T., Pace, R., & Grazia Didonna, M. stated that “during the last 50 years cohabitation has gained increased prominence, at differing tempos and to varying degrees, throughout Europe, and it has become an increasingly popular option for partnering”. The question then is this? Why must the individuals meet this criterion to be viewed as a relationship? In other words, is it a societal or social norm or sociological classification? Does the law recognize cohabitation and accords it the same benefits people in
Cohabitation is the norm in society today. When a couple decides to live together, it usually happens when a decision of I will spend one night and then pretty soon all of the clothes are at the
Cohabitation is living together before marriage. There is also different name for it such as, Duration of the relationship, Frequency of Overnight Visits, Emotional or Sexual Nature of the Relationship and Sex of the Partners. As well as there are different names of cohabitation there are also different types of it.
According to Dalton Conley, cohabitation is the “living together in an intimate relationship without formal, legal, or religious sanctioning”(Conley 458). From this, one can assume that cohabitation happens primarily between two people that are in a relationship. When looking at cohabitation within the United States, it has become more evident that it is slowly increasing in popularity. During the early ages, cohabitation was considered very scandalous and was frowned upon, but as the years progress, more and more couples start living together. Whether it is to experience the lifestyle they would have living together as if they were married or living together in order to save money, more and more people are living with their significant other.
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.
Cohabitation- Two people who are not married live together in an emotionally and/or sexually intimate relationship on a long-term or permanent basis
Neil Clark Warren in his essay “The Cohabitation Epidemic” starts by using tennis stars Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf’s case to mention the “cohabitation” issue and then quoting the data from the U.S Census Bureau and researcher Larry Bumpass to show that the number of people involved in cohabitation has significantly increased in the U.S in the last few decades. After that, Warren concludes that we should be alarmed over the recent increase of cohabiting couples. Before arguing against cohabitation, Warren introduces what kinds of people are cohabiting and why they are cohabiting. Followed by that, the author first uses the
Interview questions emphasized cohabitation and the links between cohabitation and marriage. The final sample consisted of 6,881 married couples and 682 cohabiting couples; of these, 5,648 spouses and 519 cohabiting partners completed questionnaires (Vol. 22, Issue 2).
According to the article, “The Negative Effects of Cohabitation” by Linda J. Waite, cohabitations are very short lived and they generally last for about a year or a little more until the idea of marriage comes up or the relationship is just disposed. Cohabitating couples “break up at a much higher rate than marriages.” Usually in cohabitation, one of the partners expect the relationship to be permanent while the other partner does not. Most couples will choose cohabitation to try to avoid “formal constraints or responsibilities.” Cohabitation couples lack stability in the relationship and are likely to produce less than married couples. Cohabiters expect each person to support themselves and failure to do so threatens the relationship. It prevents them from being together as one source, to support each during the most difficult times. These relationships are unstable because no is willing to commit and that is what causes the downfall of a
Cohabiting has changed over the years, as with everything. There are traditional and nontraditional values among singles and living together. Traditionally, prior to the Industrial Revolution, dating, courtship, and mate selection were very different and generally over seen by the parents of the daughter. Later, after the Industrial Revolution, adolescence was given
Bruce Wydick argued that, “cohabitation may be narrowly defined as an intimate sexual union between two unmarried partners who share the same living quarter for a sustained period of time’’ (2). In other words, people who want to experience what being in a relationship truly is, tend to live under one roof and be more familiar with one-another. Couples are on the right path to set a committed relationship where the discussion about marriage is considered as the next step. However, many people doubt the fact as to live or not together with their future
Due to the shifts in people’s lifestyles, marriage has become less central in society. The traditional precept that a couple should legalize their relationship through marriage before living together has declined these days due to the transformation of people’s attitude and thoughts towards the act of marriage. As a result, couples who are not inclined towards marriage have turned to alternate courses in their relationship. One of the most common living styles most young people have chosen is the live-in relationship or cohabitation. It raises the question of whether this lifestyle choice is more beneficial to cohabiters rather than marriage. Although it is a trending lifestyle, the issue is still a social controversy nowadays.
Cohabitation is defined as a man and woman living in the same household and having sexual relations while not being married. There is relatively little data on health outcomes for people who have cohabitated, although there is some evidence that cohabitating couples have lower incomes (15% of cohabitating men are jobless while 8% of married men are jobless) and there may be negative academic effects for children of cohabitating mothers (Jay, 2012). Cohabitation rates are highest among those who have never married with just over a quarter of people surveyed reporting cohabitation before their first marriage (Jay, 2012). Of these, half reported that they expected their cohabitation to end in marriage; about one quarter to one third of cohabitations end either in marriage or dissolution of the relationship within 3 years (Jay, 2012). Further, cohabitation rates are highest for those who have not completed college, accounting for all but 12% of men and women reporting that they are living with their partners (Jay, 2012). Cohabitation and marriage are two significant decisions college students will make, but very little is known about what college students think about living together before marriage. Given the nearly 50% divorce rate in the United States (Jay, 2012), understanding how young adults view cohabitation as on option for life relationships needs further investigation.
together in the early 1980's were between 25 and 34 years old, and an additional
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