Cohabitation, Marriage, and Divorce
explanatory Essay
1242 words
1.0 Introduction
Cohabitation is and has been a norm in almost all societies in the world. It has been perceived as the stepping stone to marriage by the modern generation. In Whitman, (2003), cohabitation has grown so widely that there is one cohabiting couple out of 7 marriages in 2010 as compared to 1 out of 90 marriages in 1960. According to her, the attitude towards the whole of marriage institution has changed drastically over time. In the same article, currently in the US, of 3 single women, 1 chooses to live with their partners before marriage as compared to the 1950’s where only 1 out of 10 chooses so. Another statistics reveal that, the number of cohabitating partners have increased exponentially from 430,000 in 1960 to 5.4 million couples in 2005 (Fowler, R, 2008). From this shocking statistics, we ought to find out the advantages and disadvantages of cohabiting.
Firstly, the meaning of cohabitation and marriage must be clearly defined before more research is done. From the Concise English Dictionary (9th Edition), cohabitation come from the word ‘cohabit’ which is defined as “live together, [especially] as husband and wife without being married to one another” while marriage is defined as “the legal union of a man and woman in order to live together and often to have children”. In today’s terms, long-term cohabitation is more known as an alternative to marriage. Couples now prefer cohabitation because of the ‘freedom’ and the ‘guarantee of compatibility’ that it allegedly offers.
However, the issue about cohabitation that is questioned is the stability of the relationship. We know that cohabitation is recognized by any country in the world as a legal union of a man and woman. The question arises, ‘Will cohabitat...
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...ation’, Family Matters, pp. 24-27, viewed 26th January 2012,
Popenoe D., Whitehead B.D. (1999), ‘Should we live together? What young adults need to know about cohabitation before marriage.’ THE NATIONAL MARRIAGE PROJECT : The Next Generation Series, New Jersey, viewed 14 January, 2012,
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English, (1995), 9th ed, Oxford University Press Inc., New York.
Whitehead, B.D. and Popenoe, D. (2000), ‘Sex without strings, relationships without rings’, The State of Our Unions, The Social Health of Marriage in America, The National Marriage Project, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, p. 13, New Jersey.
Whitman, S. (2003), ‘Shacking up: The smart girl's guide to living in sin without getting burned’, Broadway, Washington.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that cohabitation has been a norm in almost all societies in the world.
- Explains that many couples take cohabitation as a stepping stone to marriage. however, the opposing argument is flawed.
- Summarizes bramlett md and mosher wd's 'cohabitation, marriage, divorce, and remarriage in the united states.'
- Cites whitehead, popenoe, and whitman's book, the national marriage project, rutgers, state university of new jersey.
Related
- analytical
- opinion
- comparative
- explanatory
- argumentative
- Cohabitation and its Effect on Marital Stability in the USanalytical essayCohabitation and its Effect on Marital Stability in the US Unmarried heterosexual cohabitation has increased sharply in the recent years in the United States. It has in fact become so prevalent that the majority of marriages and remarriages now begin as cohabiting relationships, and most young men and women cohabit at some point in their lives. It has become quite clear that understanding and incorporating cohabitation into sociological analyses and thinking, is crucial for evaluating family patterns, people’s lifestyles, children’s wellbeing and social changes more broadly. This essay presents some common explanation for cohabitation’s dramatic rise and identifies some analytic questions as to how cohabitation is increasingly a major barrier in the marital stability in the United States. Cohabitation, over the last two decades has gone from being a relatively uncommon social phenomenon to a commonplace one and has achieved this prominence quite quickly.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that premarital cohabitation tends to be associated with lower marital quality and to increase the risk of divorce, even after taking into account variables known as divorce.
- Analyzes bumpass ll, sweet ja, and cherlin a. the role of cohabitation in declining rates of marriage.
- Analyzes how cohabitation has become a major barrier to marital stability in the united states.
- Argues that cohabitation is either an experimental stage in the marriage process or a substitute for marriage.
- Cites axinn wg, thornton a. 1993, mothers, children, and cohabitation: the intergenerational effects of attitudes and behavior.
- Explains manning wd, smock pj, nock sl, rindfuss rr, vandenheuvel a. 1990. cohabitation: a precursor to marriage or an alternative to being single?
1723 wordsRead More - The History of Marriage and Family is Changingopinion essayMaclean's reports that such living arrangements used to be considered lower class but new statistics reveal that these so-called common law marriages are much more widespread (Maclean’s 14). The number of couples living together in Canada, without benefit of marriage, almost tripled between 1981 and 1995 (14). Some suggest that the increase is attributable to the fact that the arrangement has much less of a stigma attached now (14). The reason that the stigma is lessened is due to the fact that the current people in their twenties have parents who have also cohabited before marriage. This is the first time that this phenomenon has occurred as the boomers began the loosening of sexual mores in the society during the turbulent sixties. While it is true that living together is more acceptable, it is far from widely acceptable in the still rigid American culture.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the history of marriage and family has changed from puritanical beliefs that said people had to have a license to live together.
- Explains that marriage has been linked with white wedding dresses and three tiered whipped cream cakes, but it has also broached the question of whether or not the committed couple should live together before the big wedding day.
- Explains that the number of couples living together in canada, without benefit of marriage, almost tripled between 1981 and 1995. the stigma is lessened due to the current people in their twenties having parents who also cohabited before marriage.
- Explains that the divorce rate doubled during the period from 1960 to 1980. studies show that divorce was most common in the second year of marriage.
- Opines that living together may have an effect on an impending marriage, but the obvious effect would be that the couple realizes that they are not right for each other and would not marry at all.
- Explains that the number of children living in families with married couples declined from 88% in 1960 to 69% in 1994. divorce does explain the drop, but may be attributed to the rise in nonmarital childbearing.
- Opines that living together for practical reasons, such as sharing expenses, shouldn't negatively affect the future marriage. however, a religious reservation and personal guilt could put additional strife on the union
- Analyzes the reasons why people move in together, such as less marriage and more out-of-wedlock babies being born in poorer communities.
- Explains smith's suggestion that marriage can increase family wealth. the household division of labor implies that the total product of a married couple is larger than the sum of the outputs of each.
- Opines that marriage is a cause and consequence of economic, cultural, and psychological stratification in american society.
- Opines that long-distance relationships are an issue that needs to be brought up in terms of cohabitation and marriage. some couples choose to stay married but not cohabit.
- Opines that living apart can tear a marriage apart. marriage institutionalizes the obligations of both parents to raise children.
1517 wordsRead More - Cohabitation Vs. Marital Unionscomparative essayAccording to Clarkberg, Stolzenberg and Waite, from the University of Chicago, cohabitation is preferred over marriage by a specific group of people defined through their preferences in certain attitudes and values. According to this study, people chose to enter into either marriage or cohabitation depending on their views on procreation and relationships. However, the article also includes a study of peoples choice relying on views towards leisure time allotment, household labor division, employment, economic resources and relationships with immediate and extended family as well as with religion.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that clarkberg, stolzenberg and waite, from the university of chicago, prefer cohabitation over marriage based on their views on procreation and relationships.
- Explains that couples inter into cohabitation because it allows them to postpone their entrance into traditional gender-specific marital roles in a family environment.
- Explains that career and work is a high correlation variable in this study. men who don't believe in steady jobs or are less successful at work are more likely to enter into cohabitation unions.
- Explains that leisure time allotment increased the probability of men entering into cohabitation rather than marriage from 33% to 53%.
- Concludes that both men and women like to be in a union, but many find marriage too restrictive and prefer informal means of being with their loved ones.
390 wordsRead More - The Namesake Essayanalytical essayTheir entire definitions of love and marriage are being re-examined as we pass from one generation to another. The outlooks on modern marriage are introduced by Lahiri, Larson, and Guest. Lahiri shows how love these days is used as a temporary satisfying tool. Larson suggests that marriage is not required anymore, in contrast with the past, and Guest proves that marriage does not guarantee happiness. We live in a world where divorce is widespread, and many suggestions are being made to update the traditional family and marriage model. The future of the concept of marriage is hard to predict, and young adults are confused on the idea of marriage, but who can blame
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how jhumpa lahiri's novel the namesake examines one outlook on modern marriage: using love to satisfy temporary needs rather than having a relationship dependent on actual feelings of trust and loyalty.
- Analyzes how christina larsen challenges the whole idea of marriage through her essay "the startling plight of china's leftover ladies." andrew guest proves that marriage does not guarantee happiness.
- Analyzes how gogol uses love and marriage as a means of rebelling against his past and trying to form his identity in the namesake.
- Analyzes how gogol's second relationship, more intense, is with maxine, the opposite of the type of girl his parents would want him to marry.
- Analyzes christina larsen's view on modern marriage: postponing or abandoning it for independence and success. in the namesake, ashima sacrifices her work and social life to take care of her family.
- Analyzes how andrew guest challenges the widely spread belief that marriage is the key to happiness and that unmarried people are unhappy.
- Analyzes how the institutions of love and marriage are going through critical transitions. lahiri, larson, and guest introduce perspectives on modern marriage.
- Opines guest, andrew, "pursuing the science of happiness." globalization: a reader for writers. ed. maria jerskey.
- Explains larson, christina, and maria jerskey's globalization: a reader for writers.
1409 wordsRead More - Analysis Of The Changing American Familyanalytical essayNatalie Angier, author of “The Changing American Family” offers different perspectives of why are Americans delaying marriage. One reason might be that “a growing number of Americans are simply intimidated by the whole idea of marriage” (Angier). On the other hand, Americans have chosen to organize their priorities by first getting their college degrees, finding a job, and being financially stable before thinking of marriage and children. This new generation is choosing to try things out before committing to them. That is why they are opting for cohabitation instead of marriage, Furthermore, most cohabitating couples are discouraged by the economic and emotional standards that a “successful” marriage
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the american family experienced radical changes in its styles and shapes that empowered society to create the ideal roles for each family member and impose them as a utopia family.
- Explains that divorce rates are roughly the same as they have been for a long time. the atlantic's gillian white agrees with kimmel and angier.
- Explains that the american family has always been trying to adapt to the economic, social, and cultural changes the best it can. however, society is still fighting against the new family structures and roles.
- Analyzes how the 1950s family model is a mythic model that has nothing to do with reality.
- Explains that the american family is stronger than ever and more open to different definitions, structures, and family roles.
1148 wordsRead More - Cohabitation Essayexplanatory essayMarriage and cohabitation play a central role in how family life is carried out. The way in which society views marriage and cohabitation is changing as individualism becomes an increasingly mainstream ideal. Marriage rates have decreased significantly on average over the past 60 years, but different groups show different rates of change. While certain sects each have their views, the general trends are showing decreasing marriage rates in lower income individuals, and increasing marriage rates in higher income educated individuals. These rates are directly connected to racial-ethnic groups, leading to larger gaps in socioeconomic status.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that marriage and cohabitation play a central role in how family life is carried out. marriage rates have decreased significantly on average over the past 60 years, but different groups show different rates of change.
- Explains that income often is related to race and ethnicity. the inequality between races continues to grow because wealthy white couples bring in more income, while lower income individuals cannot support a family.
- Explains that cohabitation is a popular alternative to marriage becoming increasingly popular in recent years.
- Explains that couples who cohabitate prior to marriage are more likely to fall carelessly into a marriage or longer relationship. this type of cohabitation is common among lower-class couples.
- Explains that some people choose cohabitation instead of marriage, with no intention of marrying unless an external factor changes. this may be due to ideological opposition or family opposition.
- Explains that divorced or widowed people want companionship or financial stability, but are not looking for the risk or commitment of marriage. women outnumber men due to average age of death.
- Opines that they are ideologically opposed to the concept of marriage. they feel that relying heavily on one individual for these things is unrealistic.
- Opines that even cohabitation is a major commitment. they feel the need to have individual space, and would have hard time committing to sharing an apartment, or sharing certain financial burdens.
- Opines that too much time spent with any one person will lead to suffocation of certain traits which make an individual.
- Opines that as a privileged white individual who plans to be well-educated and wealthy, they believe their value will be high on the marriage market.
1058 wordsRead More - I Wish They D Do It Right Analysisanalytical essayWaite’s essay “The Negative Effects of Cohabitation”, she confirms Doe’s argument that cohabitation is often a mistake committed by many couples. Waite argues that those living in cohabitation have a higher probability of separating, especially if they marry after. Waite also highlights that cohabitation is not beneficial, and increases domestic violence. She also argues “women generally don’t share their partner’s earning” (257). However, cohabitation is not the atrocious decision that wrecks relationships, and neither is marriage the genuine decision that preserves a healthy relationship. The negative effects that come with cohabitation are established based on the personalities of those living together. The issues come from the people’s lack of trust, anger issues, and their problem with
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes jane doe's essay, "i wish they'd do it right", which highlights her ideology that marriage is honorable and legitimate, yet cohabitation is unacceptable and "socially awkward."
- Analyzes how doe asserts that her son has lived in cohabitation for seven years without the "benefit of license," which has deprived him and his girlfriend from economic benefits.
- Analyzes how doe portrays the negative effect her son and his “girlfriend” will have on her soon-to-be grandson due to not being legitimate.
- Opines that doe is wrong when she states that children with divorced parents "will not suffer greater damage".
- Analyzes linda j. waite's essay "the negative effects of cohabitation" to confirm doe’s argument that cohabitation is often a mistake committed by many couples.
- Explains that one of their cousins married because she believed it would make her relationship exclusive, but her desire to live in monogamy was not granted. their brother lives in cohabitation with his significant other.
- Opines that marriage is not for everyone in their family, which leads to heartbreaking breakups and divorces. they would marry their significant other even if he were not wealthy or did not benefit them financially.
- Explains that cohabitation offers the advantage of getting to know a person and understanding one another without being married. married love should be honored and not used for oneself.
1223 wordsRead More - The Risks of Premarital Cohabitationexplanatory essayIt is not a new thought that today’s young Americans are facing issues, problems and difficult decisions that past generations never had to question. In a world of technology, media, and a rough economy, many young adults in America are influenced by a tidal wave of opinions and life choices without much relevant advice from older generations. The Generation Y, or Millennial, group are coming of age in a confusing and mixed-message society. One of these messages that bombard young Americans is the choice of premarital cohabitation. Premarital cohabitation, or living together without being married (Jose, O’Leary & Moyer, 2010), has increased significantly in the past couple of decades and is now a “natural” life choice before taking the plunge into marriage. Kennedy and Bumpass (2008) state that, “The increase in cohabitation is well documented,such that nearly two thirds of newlyweds have cohabited prior to their first marriage”(as cited in Harvey, 2011, p. 10), this is a striking contrast compared with statistics of our grandparents, or even parents, generations. It is such an increasing social behavior that people in society consider cohabitation “necessary” before entering into marriage. Even more, young Americans who choose not to cohabitate, for many different reasons, are looked upon as being “old-fashioned”, “naive”, or “unintelligent”. This pressure for young people to cohabitate before marriage is a serious “modern-day” challenge; especially when given research that states, “... most empirical studies find that couples who cohabited prior to marriage experience significantly higher odds of marital dissolution than their counterparts who did not cohabit before marriage”, stated by Jose (2010) and colleagues (as c...
In this essay, the author
- Explains that young americans are influenced by a tidal wave of opinions and life choices without much relevant advice from older generations. premarital cohabitation has increased significantly in the past couple of decades.
- Explains that premarital cohabiting individuals view cohabitation as the "safe" choice without realizing that many are setting their relationship's up for failure.
- Explains that premarital cohabitating couples in the united states plan on getting married within a five year time frame, with 44% ending their relationship within five years.
- Explains that demographics, such as age, economic and educational levels, are taken into consideration when examining couples, and the outcome and quality of their relationship. scholars have distinguished two likely explanations for why cohabitation doesn't end in successful and high quality marriages.
- Explains the selection effect, which means that individuals come into a relationship with certain qualities and beliefs about relationships that may prove dysfunctional with time.
- Explains that the cohabitation effect, or the experience explanation, is the only behavior of living together before marriage that has a negative effect on individuals psych and attitude toward their partner and their relationship.
- Explains that not all people are affected in the same positive or negative ways when cohabiting. age, maturity, length of relationship before and during cohabitation, upbringing, economic and educational levels, all play a factor.
- Explains that cohabitation is more common among those of lower educational and income levels, according to "the state of our union project".
- Opines that young people's money saving strategy is a benefit, basing their cohabitation, and the stresses that come with it, on monetary value.
- Explains that low economic status coupled with cohabitation results in a two in three greater chance of having children. monetary stressors, magnified due to the poor economy, encourage premarital cohabitation, but this decision tends to create new relational issues.
- Explains that premarital cohabitation continues for many reasons and effects individuals in different ways, but four possible reasons have emerged from scholarly research that suggest that the current american society is to blame.
- Explains that popular shows such as "friends" and "new girl" paint an exciting and romantic picture of premarital cohabitation and sexual activity for film goers.
- Explains that the media's number one concern is to create audiences and to sell their product and in doing so influence and create culture.
- Analyzes leon festinger's cognitive dissonance theory, which states that people have an 'aversive drive' that causes people to avoid opposing viewpoints, seek reassurance, and change private beliefs to match public behavior.
- Explains that americans are losing or turning away from religious practices, citing pew forum's u.s. religious landscape survey.
- Argues that loss of religion in america has influenced the growth of cohabitation.
- Explains that children of divorced parents have a higher chance of premarital cohabitation in their lives. many millennials saw their parent’s relationships end in divorce before the age of twenty.
- Explains that the social exchange theory, introduced by albert bandura, is defined as the role of observation and the mimicking or imitating of behaviors observed in others.
- Explains that divorced children are more likely to cohabitate before marriage. however, cohabitation is not an effective way to increase your odds of success in marriage and may even increase the chances of eventual divorce.
- Explains that american society has been infiltrated with the lie that "premarital cohabitation is the safe decision". the pressure that non-cohabitating individuals feel increases the percentage of cohabitors.
- Explains that the nuclear family's structure has disintegrated and been reshaped into an unstable relational environment. premarital cohabitation results in higher rates of marriage dissolution.
- Recommends self-assessing personal cohabitation decisions and expose the lie.
- Opines that to expose the lie means to accept scholarly research that strongly discourages premarital cohabitation. it is easy for individuals to talk themselves into behaviors or life choices that are not good decisions.
- Cites bandura, a., crowther, l. and friedinger's cognitive dissonance theory.
- Cites gerbner, g., and hardy, m. on the effects of media on children.
- Explains the possible consequences of divorce for children. utah divorce orientation, utah state university.
- Cites manning, cohen, and mccombs, m. (2012). premarital cohabitation and marital dissolution.
- Explains pew forum's u.s. religious landscape survey.
- Cites thornton, a. department of health and human services. attitudes, values andnorms related to nonmarital fertility.
2936 wordsRead More - The History Of Divorceanalytical essayDivorce, It's what all relational unions attempt to keep away from, yet practically half, confront, (CDC). As stated by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, concentrated on giving definite and esteemed data on specific illnesses and parts of life that can prompt them, in 2010 there were two-million ninety-six thousand relational unions and there were eight hundred seventy-two thousand separations and revocations. This implies that the measure of separation is practically half to the extent that the amount of relational unions that happened in our nation during the current year. We regularly see this pitiful finish of relational unions for some diverse reasons, and in writing we can discover numerous ways that this issue is tended to. "you fit into me," by Margaret Atwood, "Cinderella," by Anne Sexton, and A Doll's House, by Henrik Ibsen all hold alternate points of view, and maybe a comparative answer for this very clear issue. Divorce is not something that ought to be taken daintily, and it is without a doubt an issue we have to discover an answer for, for the better of our general public and ourselves. To discover this legitimate result, we should first get a great thought of what the issue is, and how it has created. As stated by the United States Census Bureau, the establishment that gives all data from any Census taken in the U.s., fifty five percent of couples have been wedded for no less than fifteen years, thirty-five percent have been wedded for twenty years, and six percent have arrived at the "brilliant celebration," of fifty years. Here we see that the bigger measure of years of marriage, the easier rate of individuals still wedded. This is practical verification that our long haul duty level we are at is ex...
In this essay, the author
- Explains that in 2010, there were two-million ninety-six thousand relational unions, and eight hundred-two thousand separations and revocations.
- Explains that the larger measure of years of marriage, the easier rate of individuals still wedded, is practical verification that our long haul duty level is exceedingly low and baffling
- Analyzes how margaret atwood's sonnet, "you fit into me," addresses the appearances versus the truth of a circumstance.
- Analyzes how the ballad addresses the thought of appearance versus actuality, which can result in division in the house.
- Analyzes how lisa firestone's article illustrates that relationships start with feelings and sparkles running high, but as the relationship develops, these start to cool off.
- Analyzes how nora's line makes the point that if a marriage doesn't impart security and association like it ought to, hardship and trial can cause enormous issues. premarital advising permits the standards of marriage to be demonstrated.
- Argues that premarital guiding is an exceptionally viable asset that might bring down the measure of duties, make a solid establishment, permit future accomplices to get to know one another, and general enhance our standard of marriage.
- Analyzes how sexton reflects upon the thought of flawlessness seeing someone in her ballad "cinderella."
2002 wordsRead More - Young Adult´s View on Marriage in the United Statesargumentative essayIn this study, researchers wanted to know young adults’ views of marriage in the United States. In order to do so, they asked simple questions about marriage and commitment to 424 people ages 21 to 38 from various socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds. The results showed that there are two major types of marital constructs, and two major arguments in the debate of marriage’s current state. The two categories of people who think of marriage are called the marriage naturalists and the marriage planners. Both groups of people have nearly opposite views on the idea of what is needed to be able to have a good, healthy marriage. The major arguments about the current state of marriage in the U.S are the marriage decline and the marriage resilience perspectives. These are also polarized, naturally.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that researchers wanted to know young adults' views of marriage in the united states by asking simple questions about marriage and commitment to 424 people ages 21 to 38 from various socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds.
- Explains that the first type of person who marries or wants to do so is known as the marriage naturalist.
- Explains that marriage planners focus more on bettering themselves and their own life than on marrying somebody else.
- Analyzes the marriage decline and marriage resilience perspectives within the world of marriage trends. they argue that divorce rates are due to the wide availability and social acceptance of divorce.
- Explains that the study included the perceptions of marriage and family in both the u.s and japan.
- Explains that in the u.s, families are more likely to view parents as one entity, which reflects the idea that marriages in america almost always follow love.
- Explains that in japan, the depictions of marriage seemed to be more isolated. the mother was shown with the children and the father was less connected.
- Concludes that there are traditional differences between the u.s and japanese cultures when it comes to views on marriage and the family unit.
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