Cohabitation

BY: MELLISA

Did you know that cohabiting couples report more depression and more alcohol problems than married couples? This week in my Human Development and Family Studies course we learned all about cohabitation, which is when two humans live together but are not married. In class we talked about all the different types of cohabitation, the advantages and disadvantages to cohabitation, and the effects that cohabitation have on marriage.

To give you a little background knowledge, over the past forty years, cohabitation has increased from around 400,000 to almost twenty times that. People choose to cohabitate for many different reasons. First, some people see cohabitation as a “trial marriage” to see if marriage will work out in the future. Secondly, some people see it as a “precursor to marriage” so they decide to cohabitate with plans to eventually marry. Others see cohabitation as a “substitute for marriage” with no plans to marry in the future. Lastly, some people may see cohabitation as “coresidental dating” where they are in a serious relationship, but lack the desire to marry. Those are the four common types of cohabitation.

Now there are many advantages and disadvantages to cohabitation. Some advantages include the two cohabiters get to know each other better and spend more time together, while also getting to save money by living together. Even though these many seem like good things, the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. While cohabitating, the pair may disagree about what cohabiting actually means. The women might think it means a “trial marriage” while the man may think of it as “free sex and housekeeping”. There may be a sense of guilt and a conflict over domestic tasks in the household, as well as instability of the relationship or loss of other relationships and family approval. Cohabiters may be less faithful than they would be in a marriage and also may have less sexual satisfaction than marriage. In cohabitation there is also a higher rate of violence and many legal uncertainties.

There are many effects of cohabitation on later marriages. If a couple decides to try cohabitation it may end up causing more negative marital communication and end up lowering the levels of male commitment to his spouse. It may also lower levels of satisfaction in their marriage. So in conclusion, cohabitation is not the most effective way to be with your partner and can eventually lead to a greater likelihood of divorce upon later marriage. 

Cohabitation