The Downside Of Cohabitation

On April 14th a very good article by Meg Jay was released in the New York Times.  She addressed the concerns of cohabitation; living together before marriage.


It seems to me that this has become more and more the norm for our society.  Not only are their Biblical concerns with cohabitation but it seems from this article that there are emotional and sociological concerns too.  In other words, from a totally secular point of view Meg Jay brings up some very important things to consider.  Take for instance the following,

"Couples who cohabit before marriage (and especially before an engagement or an otherwise clear commitment) tend to be less satisfied with their marriages — and more likely to divorce — than couples who do not. These negative outcomes are called the cohabitation effect."

Furthermore, she also addresses that within cohabitation, expectations can be confused which can carry over into the marriage,

"WHEN researchers ask cohabitors these questions, partners often have different, unspoken — even unconscious — agendas. Women are more likely to view cohabitation as a step toward marriage, while men are more likely to see it as a way to test a relationship or postpone commitment, and this gender asymmetry is associated with negative interactions and lower levels of commitment even after the relationship progresses to marriage."

Overall, this is a wonderful article for us to consider the downside of cohabitation.  CLICK HERE to read the full article.