One of the most common concerns young people encounter as they begin to pursue adult relationships is the question of cohabitation.Living together before, or instead of, marriage has not only become acceptable in the last 30 years, it has become the norm. According to the US Census bureau, there was a 72% increase in unmarried couples living together between the years from 1990 to 2000. Further, about 54% of women have, or will have, lived together with a boyfriend at some point in their lives. One recent survey of high school seniors found that 64% of young men and 57% of young women agreed with the statement, “It is usually a good idea for a couple to live together before getting married in order to find out whether they really get along.”
All of this is to say that young adults are experiencing more pressure than ever to experiment with alternatives to marriage. This, despite the wide body of research that says that cohabiting relationships are less stable and less satisfying than marriage, and actually increase the risk of divorce significantly if the cohabiting couple ever decides to pursue marriage.
This last point presents the best opportunity for parents and chastity educators to convince young people that remaining chaste until marriage is a better option. New research from the University of Denver has discovered some of the reasons that cohabitation offers a poor preparation for marriage.
Read more at Patheos.
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