Does Living Together before Marriage Increase Divorce Risk?

 Posted on November 20, 2015 in Divorce

Previous research indicated that couples who cohabitate before marriage were more likely to get end up getting divorced. Couples who waited until marriage to move in together, experts said, were more likely to have long and healthy marriages. Research done in the past few years, however, indicates quite the opposite. Cohabitation has become extremely popular with young people in America. In the last 50 years, there has been a near 900 percent growth in the amount of couples that cohabit before marriage. If you and your partner live together before marriage, are you destined for divorce? New studies say no. For whatever reason, cohabitation has become extremely common in America. Perhaps it is less pressure from parents, or the fact that American youth are frequently less religious than older generations. Other experts blame the recession. They say many couples do intend on getting married, but with low incomes, choose to wait. In the meantime, they move in together and often have children. This growing trend was troubling to many. Studies up until the early 2000's indicated that couples who moved in together before marriage were much more likely to get divorced. Research done only a few years old suggested that couples who cohabited prior to marriage were around 33 percent more likely to divorce. Thankfully, either that research was inaccurate, or the trend has dropped enormously. A paper published last year in the Journal of Marriage and Family says past studies have overestimated the likelihood of divorce for cohabiting couples. The author of the study found no correlation between cohabiting before marriage and divorce, but did find another indicator of divorce risk; age. "It turns out that cohabitation does not cause divorce and probably never did. What leads to divorce is when people move in with someone - with or without a marriage license - before they have the maturity and experience to choose compatible partners and to conduct themselves in ways that can sustain a long term relationship." Recent studies indicate that couples hoping for long term success should not move in together or get married before the age of 23. Some experts say that the longer couples wait to move in together or get married, the higher the likelihood their marriage will last. One study conducted by an economist at the University of Illinois-Chicago showed that each year a woman waits to get married, up until age thirty, lowers her chances for divorce.

If you find yourself in an unhappy marriage and considering divorce, be sure to add a divorce attorney to your team. Contact the experienced Wheaton divorce attorneys at Stock, Carlson & Asso. LLC at 630-665-2500.

Sources: https://contemporaryfamilies.org/cohabitation-divorce-brief-report/

http://time.com/20386/how-shacking-up-before-marriage-affects-a-relationships-success/