Against Cohabition
You would not buy a shoe without trying it on first, right? Well many people see marriage that way but "marriage is one shoe you cannot try on before you buy it" (http://members.aol.com). There has been much research done on the effects of cohabiting and most has been negative. Reasons why couples should not live together before marriage fall under four categories; sociological, psychological, legal, and religion.
Sociologically speaking, couples who live together before marriage are less likely to marry each other. A Columbia University study found that 26% of women married and only 19% of men married who they were cohabiting" (http://www.atmp.org/). Couples that lived together have higher divorce and separation rates than those who did not. " Psychology Today reported the findings of Yale University sociologist Neil Bennett that cohabiting women were 80% more likely to separate or divorce than were women who had not lived with their spouses before marriage" (http://members.aol.com ). "A 5-year study by William Axinn of the University of Chicago of 800 couples reported in the Journal of Demography that those who cohabit are the most accepting of divorce" (http://members.aol.com). Many studies have all come to the same conclusion that cohabiting before marriage has a direct negative impact on marital stability because living in such away takes the point out of marriage and reduces the commitment made to the marriage.
Most women who cohabited first complain about the quality of communication after the wedding because their relationship was built on the physical aspects. "A physical relationship is an inadequate foundation upon which to build a lasting lifelong relationship" (http://members.aol.com). Those who have had premarital sex are more likely to have extramarital affairs as well. "Research indicates that if one is willing to experience sex before marriage, a higher level of probability exists that one will do the same...
View Full Essay