Comments about ‘Research shows more couples are cohabitating’

People are cohabiting more because it just makes sense. In a world where everyone has their own dreams/goals/ideals wouldn't you want to live with someone for a period of time before deciding you want to spend the rest of your life when them?

We also have to consider that the younger generations don't value marriage nearly as much as their parents and grandparents did.

Regardless of orientation, marriage is just a word on some pieces of paper. Sure, it grants some benefits... but most of those aren't important unless you plan on buying property or having a family with your SO... things that matter later in life. So why rush into it?

The religious crowd fighting with the GLBT crowd over the definition of marriage has poisoned the concept of marriage for everybody. That is why more and more people are simply loving each other without worrying whether they have the approval of "society", Government, or religion.

I know me and my wife plan to "cohabitate" for as long as we can.

I guess you are just one uncool dude to want to marry. Only the cool people live together and like it that way. There are those who want to eliminate marriage altogether, that eliminates all our cultual stabillity. Maybe the day will come that only the gays are married?..... and the Mormons, of course.

There was an article recently on a study done which indicated that children who grow up in a two parent home, where the parents are married to each other, are the best adjusted, and least likely to become involved in drugs and other difficulties. Children living with their mother and her boyfriend are the most likely to be abused, according to the studies cited. This seems to be a strong case for traditional marriage.

Yeah, whatever.

Our society will continue to disintegrate the more we disregard values and the less we value marriage and family. Individuals are choosing not to marry because of the responsibility that comes along with it. It is far easier to end a relationship when people have not taken vows or made promises to one another. I am sickened by the wanton disregard for standards, morals, and values in our society. We have truly eliminated those crucial lessons of cause and effect from our lives and we will continue to go down this path of moral degradation until society is completely destroyed, or those who believe that the next generation deserves better and finally takes a stand.

You'd think that cohabitators who eventually marry would be more likely to stay married than couples who marry before living together. After all, they've been able to work out a lot of problems before they tie the knot. It sounds counter intuitive but the opposite is the case. Also, many research studies that go back over 50 years show that couples where are both virgins when they get married are more likely to stay married than couples where one of them is a virgin and the other isn't. And if neither of them are virgins, they are even less likely to stay married. Aparently, there is a correlation between promiscuous behavior and the ability to form a strong pair bond. It makes a good case to practice abstinence or exclusive love--i.e. No intimate sex outside of marriage between a man and a woman. And for the good of children who are seriously damaged by divorce, abstinence should be strongly encouraged in our homes, schools, churches, etc. Instead, children are actually taught in high school classes how to put condomes on bananas!

Nothing says "I love you but not enough to make a committment" like cohabitation.

@nan BW
actually it is a strong case for marriage period since the study you sight did nor address LGBT parents and all the other research shows that children living with two LGBR parents do as well as children "traditional" marriages.

For more than 20 years now we have been told that marriage is not important - especially if you don't want kids - and that everything that you can get through marriage you can get through other means.

Meanwhile, people are trying to make divorce harder and harder.

Why are people shocked that no one wants to get married any more?

In a world with no God and no purpose...its no wonder people are cohabitating before marriage. Its the hollywood way. No God to bother us with his out dated laws. Well, we'll see how well a life w/o God works out.

I'm a trilingual college graduate and my husband is a college graduate with an engineering degree. We married at age 25 having never lived with anyone else before marriage. We don't have any children yet or even a pet or houseplant. Our household income isn't even $50,000.00 and we still end up paying federal taxes every year. What the heck are we doing wrong?!

Marriage is just a state of mind. You do not need a piece of paper to be married.

Marriage is an agreement and commitment of fidelity. Without it you're just roomates with no responsibilty to each other or family. Your'e free to have other relationships which causes emotional stress, depression, and a weaken society.

To "katiefrankie | 9:21 p.m" I hate to say it, but one thing you are doing wrong is staying in Provo. You can do better outside of Utah Valley, too many people want to remain in that area, so employers can pay less for the same work.

The Proclamation to the world on the family says:
"We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegraion of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets."

I wonder how many calamities we will have to go through in order to understand that the family matters, that marriage matters. It matters to God, it matters to civilization and it matters to the future of this planet. It matters to me!

You nailed it, RedShirt. I would like to move back home to Oregon to be near my family - especially if we add to our little family - but the unemployment rate there, coupled with the outrageous housing prices - makes that a dream.

It is truly sad to see traditional marriage treated as an after thought. It took me a long time to find my companion, and never once did I think about cohabitation. Being married is so worth it.

Interesting... Hetero's can but don't want to marry and the gays want to but can't. Am I missing something here? Like I have said before, the heterosexuals have done more damage to marriage than the gay community EVER could.