Press Release Summary = A New Poll by MarriageAdvice.com Reveals Startling Statistics About People's Attitudes Regarding Cohabitating Before Marriage.
Press Release Body = The MarriageAdvice.com poll asked, \"Is It Okay To Live Together Before You\'re Married?\" Of the 429 respondents, 60% believed it was okay to live together. This number is consistent with a National Survey conducted with seniors in High School who were asked a similar question. Again, 60% felt it was okay to live together before marriage.
Beth Young, Senior Editor of MarriageAdvice.com expressed her concern for this continuing trend. She stated, \"Logic may tell the average person that a \"trial marriage\" is great preparation for the real thing. Then you can see how you get along and iron out any problems before you\'re married. However, social science studies refute this belief.\"
There are many studies that have been conducted regarding cohabitating prior to marriage. One of the most recent papers done by Barbara Dafoe Whitehead and David Popenoe discussed the \"State of Our Unions.\"
Many studies have found that, \"Cohabiting unions tend to weaken the institution of marriage and pose clear and present dangers for women and children. Specifically, the research indicates that:
- Living together before marriage increases the risk of breaking up after marriage.
- Living together outside of marriage increases the risk of domestic violence for women, and the risk of physical and sexual abuse for children.
- Unmarried couples have lower levels of happiness and well-being than married couples.\"
So not only does living together do more harm than good to long-term relationships, another alarming concern is that children who are born into a cohabiting relationship are at a greater risk of sexual abuse and physical violence than children being raised in a married home. To top it off, there is a greater risk of parents breaking up in a cohabiting relationship than a marriage relationship. ____________________________
How Do We Prevent Divorce? ____________________________
The trend of living together has evolved due to the increase in divorces over the past few decades. Some statistics claim that 50% of marriages will end in divorce. So it is a legitimate concern for our young adults.
However, if cohabitation isn\'t a good answer to stem the tide of divorce, then what is? Young explained, \"There is good news that can be gleaned from some of these studies. They have found that even though cohabiting doesn\'t appear to reduce the divorce rate, there are other variables that come into play regarding divorce, and the insights are encouraging.\"
These studies have found that if you are educated (have had some college), with a decent income, came from a non-divorced family, are religious, were married after age 25 and didn\'t have children for at least 7 months after you're marriage, your chances for divorce are slim.
Even if you don\'t have all of these factors in your marriage, each factor reduces the chance of divorce rearing its ugly head in your relationship.
2025
