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Marriage Vs. Cohabitation Adulthood Brings With It Essay

Marriage vs. Cohabitation Adulthood brings with it many milestones. Learning to drive, going to college, taking on new relationships -- all facets of life that many people strive toward. However, as time goes on, these milestones have veered from the traditional and into new territory. For instance, instead of heading down the aisle, many couples are choosing to bypass the formality and move right into cohabitation. Many would say that this custom demeans the sanctity of marriage, while others say it allows couples to really discover each other without the formalities. These opinions are only a few of the thousands of voices raised in favor or in opposition of the debate between marriage vs. cohabitation, and in comparing and contrasting the two, it can be seen that each option offers its own set of benefits and disadvantages.

Both marriage and cohabitation allow couples the ability to reside under the same roof and live together as a...

Such couples, who have proven committed enough to one another to make the move into cohabitation, decide to take on this role with or without a marriage license to add into the mix. While unmarried couples that live together tend to hold a stronger bond than unmarried couples that do not, their bonds are not generally perceived as being as deeply rooted at those couples who choose marriage, which is only the tip of the iceberg in assessing the differences between the two unions.
In looking at the reasons couples cite for choosing cohabitation, several reasons are noted far more than others. Couples who choose to reside together without the contract that marriage brings with it often cite the following reasons: desire for emotional and sexual intimacy without the obligations of marriage, a chance to test their compatibility, preparation for marriage through living with someone "24/7," and to better learn each other's habits,…

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Bumpass, Larry, Cherlin, Andrew, and Sweet, James. "The Role of Cohabitation in Declining Rates of Marriage," Journal of Marriage and Family, 53.4. 2001: 913-927. Web. Retrieved from: ProQuest Database.

Larson, Jeffry. A Scientifically Proven Method for Evaluating Your Relationship and Improving its Chances for Long-term Success. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2000, Print.

Waite, Linda. "Does Marriage Matter?" Demography, 32.3. 2005: 483-507. Web.

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