Cohabitation, Nonmarital

AbstractTraditionally, couples have exhibited their commitment to each other through marriage. Couples have expanded upon their typical demonstrations of commitment to include the practice of nonmarital cohabitation. In nonmarital cohabitation, two individuals in a romantic relationship live together without being married. Reasons for cohabiting can differ between males and females, as well as by race. Research generally shows that cohabitation correlates strongly with later marital dissatisfaction, but research since 2000 has determined that not all cohabiting couples are alike and that couples who are engaged before cohabitating are exempt from this effect primarily due to the couple's level of commitment before cohabitation. Commitment also informs the ways in which couples decide to cohabit, which is often referred to as the process of “sliding versus deciding.” Cohabitation tends to have worse outcomes for those who continually move into and out of cohabiting.