4) What do you think the rise of cohabitation in America means for the future of American family life?
Over the last 50 years, cohabitation before marriage has greatly increased, rising from 10% reported in 1970 to about 68% reported in 2013. It has gone from something rare to a normal practice today. In the 1950s, marriage was seen as a practical necessity to adult life. Unmarried adults faced stigmatization, something that has faded out with time. When my uncle had to separate from his wife, the entire family was against it. They had a non-functional marriage, but it was hard for them to divorce because the extended family wanted them to make their marriage work. They separated and later on divorced, and I really pitied them that they had to try mending the marriage for the sake of others. Today, marriage has transitioned from a practical necessity to a symbolic achievement. Nowadays, it is normal for an American adult to cohabitate just as much as it is to be unmarried. The rise of cohabitation in America means the future of American family life will adjust to new traditions; categorizing cohabitation as a form of marriage. The young adults could focus on life, knowing that society does not necessarily expect them to transition into marriage and focus on their life priorities with ease.
Leslye Ruezga
YesterdayNov 18 at 9:55pm
5.) Our lecture on marriage & cohabitation covered numerous topics. What was the most interesting thing that you learned? What was the most surprising?
Reading this lecture on marriage and cohabitation was interesting. The most interesting thing was to learn that many factors caused the decline of marriages from 1950-2018. In 1950, marriage was viewed as a practical necessity to become an adult and was seen as a social status; being married meant you were successful. Whereas in 2015, getting married is not viewed as a necessity but more of a symbolic achievement. I was more surprised to learn about the rise of cohabitation. I found it surprising that data showed that after the first year of marriage, the likelihood of getting divorced after premarital cohabitation is more likely. Still, it is not the actual cause of divorce.
Hi Leslye,
Great response! It is interesting and surprising to learn that even after premarital cohabitation, there was a likelihood of couples getting divorced after the first year of marriage. I would actually bet that this was impossible, as such partners have already lived together and known each other’s flaws and learned to live with each other. But reading this module, I now understand that it is possible to divorce. Probably, staying in cohabitation and never transitioning into marriage could resolve the likelihood of divorce ever happening. It is also interesting that June 12 is Loving Day, celebrated to mark racial/ethnic diversity in relationships, even though the government does not officially recognize it.