An article on EastTennessean.com discusses how given the high rate of divorce there is an increasing interest among couples in alternatives to traditional marriage. A recent survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor, marriage rates were shown to have decreased over 5 percent since the 1980s.
This drop is not because couples are not entering into relationships. Instead, it’s because couples have decided to live together rather get hitched. Cohabitation has become a popular alternative to traditional marriage.
The change is fairly dramatic. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, over 12 million unmarried partners live together in 6,008,007 households. Another report shows that the number of cohabiting unmarried partners increased tenfold between 1960 and 2000. In 2010, the number rose dramatically as 1 in 6 adults was estimated as having cohabitated.
Those who are opposed to the recent trend towards living together argue that the practice has only gained prominence because of the ease with which the relationship can be terminated. The relationship is seen as less committed than the legally binding nature of marriage. Cohabitation can be a way of having your cake and eating it to, getting the benefits of marriage without having to accept the responsibilities that come along with it.
Cohabitation has served as an extension of dating for many. Living together is much less formal than marriage and comes with none of the legal restrictions that marriage does. The next step after dating used to be engagement. That appears to have changed to cohabitation.
According to Unmarried.org, the majority of couples marrying today cohabited first. Not content to simply shack up, 75% of cohabiters say they plan to marry there partners. If you have a are a former cohabiter who took the plunge and now face a thorny divorce, it’s critical that you find a well-respected South Carolina family law attorney to help fight for you.
Source: “An alternative to marriage: More are saying ‘I do’ to cohabitation,” by Kasey Jones, published at EastTennessean.com.