Living Together Before Marriage Essay -- essays research papers

Living Together Before MarriageAs the rate of divorce soars and as increasing numbers of marriagesdisintegrate, living together has depart the popular alternative to many racein north America. Expersts estimate that roughly 2.2 million people arecurrently sharing bed and get along with in a live-in arrangement, this is approximately1% of the total population.(Family. Comptoms Encyclopedia. 1992 ed.)Living together, more formally known as non marital cohabitation, is an emerginglifestyle. In fact, More than champion fourth of all unmarried couples livingtogether in the early 1980s were between 25 and 34 years old, and an additional19 percent were 45 and over.(Todays Families.Detroit Free Press 18 October1995 B17.) Although living together is not a recent invention, the relationshiphas yet to be legitimized with a respectable name. Existing wrong such asshacking up or living in sin are just some of the crude names being taggedto people living together. Living together laughings tock be valuable a substitute formarriage, a cur e-all for marital problems, and a solution to the problem of denounce divorce.A popular rationale for living together is that it is an ideal way tohave a try out. This trial marriage is a result of the perpetually increasing divorcerate. Many couples are afraid of marriage and decide to live together with theintention to persue marriage if the temporary arrangement is successful. Thecouples hope to decrease their chances of a potential disastrous marriage anyconflicting attitudes toward social activities, economic arrangements, ordomestic chores will be discovered and hopefully mulish while the couple livetogether. (Carter, Sharon. Trial Marriage. Ladies Home Journal 14 (May1993) 12-13.) If an unsolveable conflict arises, the couple can cancel theirwedding plans and escape the afflictive exercise of divorce. Living togetherultimately can test the couples compatibility and have them really get to knoweach other. Although evidence s uggests that couples who live together do notnecessarily have more or less successful marriages than couples who dont livetogether before the wedding, studies show that non-marital cohabitors are morerealistic most their demands and expectations of marriage.(Ross, Eshleman J.The Family An Introduction. 5th ed. Detroit Allyn,1988) Living toge... ...of divided energies among dating, career development,and economical survival. The burden of living can bee shared as the couplepersue personal goal and ambitions. Living together, for example, can provide aharried student with emotional, physical, and sometimes economic support from asympathetic partner. (Pearce, Jack M. Modern Day Marriages. New York Abel-Hils,1990.)Finally, more and more are turning to the idea of living together as theemotional, physical, social, economic, and legal benefits are much betteralternative than the consequences that can arise from a failed marriage.Certainly, not all couples choose to include living togeth er as a temporarystage in their courtship, yet the option to cohabit is becoming progressivelypopular.(Groode, Williams J. Marriage Comptoms Interactive Encyclopedia.(1996 ed.)The freedom associated with living together is an important aspect, becauseafter a period of time the couple may decide to marry, to end the relationship,or simple continue living together. As future trends continue, and moremarriages fail, the number of couples who live together are going to increasedue to the valuable benefits.