SOC 256 Lecture 2: Cohabitation

• School: University of Hartford
• Department: Sociology - A&S
• Course: SOC 256
• Professor: Freeman Amanda

Document Summary

Over the past 30 years, cohabitation has become increasingly common in the us. 7. 8 million households in the us are headed by unmarried couples who are cohabitating. Cohabitation has become a common step before marriage. Two-thirds of marriages today were preceded by the couple living together first. Getting married without living together has become more rare. Most highly educated couples are less likely to cohabitate. Cohabiting couples have lower incomes than married couples. In the article, we see quotes from people saying they want to get housing and jobs more stable before marrying. Cohabitating couples tend to be more liberal and to believe in gender equity, especially when it comes to household labor. Few racial and ethnic differences in those who cohabitate. According to the interviews presented here (qualitative data), respondents give three main reasons for cohabitation: Practical motives because already spending so many nights together. They perceive cohabitation as an important way to evaluate compatibility for marriage.