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      In the 60s and 70s, cohabitation came into the picture by first stating that marriage was just a piece of paper. Slowly over time, this has changed to the belief that cohabitation is like a test run before you get married to see if it is going to work or not. The question many researcher are asking today is does cohabitation really provide the couple with this benefit and does it hurt them more in the long run.

In article, Does Cohabitation Protect From Divorce, states the research on the topic tells us that there is a higher rate of separation and divorce in those who do cohabit before marriage. The article links it  to low levels of marital interaction and high levels of martial disagreement and instability. It concludes by saying that those to cohabit have a 50 to 100% higher likelihood of divorce. Why is a question they don’t have a specific answer for, but one suggestion is that the people who cohabit have less value on “relational permanence.”

Foxsexpret: Pro and Cons of “Living in Sin” is also in agreement stating that the divorce rate is bad (except in France and Germany where it is the other way around), but also including there are a higher infidelity and domestic violence. But it also list some pros to cohabiting including financial arrangements and tax issues.

Another article, Cohabitation before Marriage: A Good Idea?,deals with mostly just the pros of the issue. Saving time and money by living together is pointed out. If you are spending all your time together anyways you can save time and the financial benefits of living together helps save money. It also talks about, in line with recent developments to support cohabiting, that it give you the ability to test the grounds. The one idea that this article provides us with is that a possibility for cohabiting not working is that the first problem most people run.

So does cohabiting good or bad for marriage? While the evidence points us to the idea that cohabiting is not good for marriage and can be proved by evidence, the question of why still goes unanswered. There are a few suggestions of why it isn’t working, such as running at the first sign of problems and not a high value of how important or permanent the relationship is, but mostly it is still a mystery why. What do you think? Is cohabiting good or bad and why do you think that is?