relationships they wish for and think they can achieve through
cohabitation are more likely to be found in marriage. According
to the best research available, cohabitation, like a mirage, holds
out empty promises that disappear and even lead away from
fulfillment of the hopes most people have for their lives. Even
though people who marry do not always live "happily ever
after," people who choose marriage instead of cohabitation
choose the best beginning for their children and the best
opportunity for lasting happiness.
Jeffry H. Larson, Ph.D., LMFT, CFLE, is a professor of
Marriage and Family Therapy at Brigham Young University and
author of Should We Stay Together? A Scientifically Proven
Method for Evaluating Your Relationship and Improving its
Chances for LongTerm Success (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass,
2000).
Living Together: The Economics of Cohabitation
BY RICHARD FRY AND D’VERA COHN
Executive Summary
Cohabitation is an
increasingly prevalent
lifestyle in the United States.
The share of 30- to 44-yearolds living as unmarried
JOY FEELINGS
couples has more than
doubled since the mid-1990s.
Adults with lower levels of
education—without college
degrees—are twice as likely