Cohabitation

• Explanations for Increase in Cohabitation:

  > decline in stigma

  > changing position of women

  > secularisation
• Cohabitation - Decline in Stigma:

  > increase in cohabitation reflects a decline in stigma attached to sex outside of marriage

  > young people are more likely to accept cohabitation - 88% of 18-24 year olds agreed that 'it is alright for a couple to live together without intending to get married', compared to 40% people of over 65
• Cohabitation - Changing Position of Women:

  > increased career opportunities for women may mean they have less need for the financial security of marriage - they are freer to choose cohabitation
• Cohabitation - Secularisation:

  > according to the 2001 Census, young people with no religion were more likely to cohabit than those with a religion
• Cohabitation Debate:

  > for some couples, cohabitation is a step on the way to getting married, whereas for others it is a permanent alternative to marriage

  > Mackim - the relationship between marriage and cohabitation is a complex and variable one
• Cohabitation is a Stepping Stone:

  > Chester - for most people, cohabitation is part of the process of getting married

  > Coast - 75% of cohabiting couples say they expect to marry each other

  > many see cohabitation as a trial marriage, and intend to marry if it goes well
• Cohabitation is an Alternative Partnership:

  > Chandler - many couples see cohabitation as a permanent alternative to marriage

  > Bejin - cohabitation among young people represents a conscious attempt to create a more personally negotiated and equal relationship, unlike the conventional patriarchal marriage