Premarital Cohabitation: A Path to Successful Marriage

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Although the dynamics of marriage are changing, millennials still aspire to get married someday contrary to popular belief. In fact, 78% of female high school seniors and 70% of males that were surveyed across America agreed that having a good marriage and family in the future is “extremely important” to them (Howe pp.2). These percentages have remained virtually unchanged compared to the numbers from the 1970’s era. Marriage is still an important aspect of American culture and it is essential that people do everything in their power to set their marriage up for success. Living together prior to getting married, otherwise known as cohabitation, can heavily influence the success of a marriage. Despite what some believe, premarital cohabitation …show more content…

50% of the people represented in the survey answered “doesn’t make much difference,” demonstrating that a fair amount of the population does not take a stand on the topic. Also, only 10% of the respondents said that cohabitation was a “good thing for society.” This is interesting information, considering that an estimated 70% of U.S. couples decide to live together before getting married (Adams pp.5). It shows that people know cohabitation is not necessarily beneficial to their relationship, but they still choose to do it. They may assume that their relationship longevity will not be affected by their decision and they will not be a part of the statistics that indicate otherwise. However, oftentimes this is a mistake that has the potential to leave them emotionally and financially …show more content…

They see it is a way to "test the waters" and ensure they are compatible with their partner. Although this sounds logical to many people, living together prior to marriage makes it more difficult to leave an unhealthy relationship. Once a couple has made countless financial purchases together, it will be harder for either party to leave than it would have been if they had never moved in together. According to Susan Heitler, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and author of the book “The Power of Two: Secrets of a Strong & Loving Marriage,” “living together is putting oneself in a very vulnerable position” (Tartakovsky pp.3). It is a very precarious situation to be in and many things can go wrong if the relationship does not work

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