Cohabitation Vs. Marital Unions

According 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. According to the research most couples inter into cohabitation because it allows them to postpone their entrance into what would be considered traditional gender-specific marital roles in a family environment. This couples may later either evolve into marriage or break up their cohabitation status. Both marriage and cohabitation are considered "romantic coresidential unions," however, researchers have pressed forward a belief that people that enter into cohabitation are a select group of highly liberal individuals. Couples enter cohabitation because it is a tentative association that allows them to accommodate their specific values and beliefs into this romantic coresidential union. Career and work is a high correlation variable in this study. According to the research men who don't believe in steady jobs or are less successful at work are more likely to enter into a cohabitation union because it encourages an egalitarian pattern of support for the nucleus. However, a two point increase on value on money slows men into entering any kind of union from 13% to 11%. Men are less likely to get married or cohabit of they find interest in making money. On the other hand, Women who value money and career are much more likely to enter into a cohabitation union as stated by the decrease in union formation from 13% to 10% derivative of a two point increase in career and money value. These women believe that marriage's gender-specific roles may force them to put their careers in a secondary track to that of their husbands and they are unwilling to do so. This study is significant because it is opposite of what happened in the men's study. One factor increased the probability of men entering into cohabitation rather than marriage significantly. Leisure time allotment increased the probability that men will enter in cohabitation from a 33% to a 53% derivated from a two point increase in the value.