Cohabitation

1.      In emerging adults, a revolution that has come about is cohabitation. Cohabitation is living with one another in a romantic relationship, without being married. In the U.S, cohabitation was unheard of and it was a concept that should not be practiced. This is so that the sanctity of marriage could be preserved. Cohabitation in my opinion, while I do not agree with it one hundred percent, is something that long term couples should consider. Cohabitation rates are rising everywhere, and it has many reasons why. It provides a living situation where couples can be together and when they are financially and emotionally ready, they can get married if they wish. I think that cohabitation can be beneficial because with two incomes in one household, a couple could save money financially. Another benefit is getting to know a partner before making a big decision to be with a specific person for the rest of their lives. The unfortunate statistics of cohabitation stated by Berger however, is that cohabitants tend to be younger, poorer, and more likely to end their relationship even if it is satisfying. Domestic violence is also more common among cohabitants than married couples. Another sad truth is how even though people want to believe that cohabitating before marriage will make a relationship stronger, it does not actually prevent problems from arising in the future.