Previously, a report was submitted stating that people in relationships, who live together before getting married are more likely to get separated later in the life. However, this report was falsified with a new report, which has stated that the separation rates are connected to the ages of people, when they started bunking up. The new study is actually started as a way to refine the results published in the previous report.
A paper submitted to the Council On Contemporary Families has pointed out that the past studies has exaggerated the risk of separation for cohabiting couples. But, Arielle Kuperberg, who is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the North Carolina University has stated that the important thing to remember here is not whether people cohabited earlier, but their age when they decide to share their lives. Kuperberg has added that living together does not cause divorce and it will also never lead to separation. But, the thing that leads to separation is when people begin to move in with someone with or without a wedding license that too before they get the experience and maturity to select the right partners with compatibility and to conduct themselves in the methods that can sustain long-term relationships.
What is the magic age?
Here comes the question about the right age and Kuperberg has said that it is not appropriate to move together or get married before the age of 23 years. But, Economist Evelyn Lehrer of the University of Illinois has stated that the longer people wait over 23 years, the more are the chances a wedding is to stick. Lehrer has stated from her longitudinal analysis that for each year a woman waits to get married up to 30 years, her chances of getting separated reduces. Even, there are chances that women may lessen their chances of wedding too when this happens.
Why living together is linked with separation?
Earlier, this connection was established because of the way in which people moved together and then got married after getting pregnant. Even though, this happened, their economic condition was the same as earlier without any improvement. So, rather than living together, poverty forced them to separate from each other. On the other hand, wealthier people did not separate.
Present situation
The above-mentioned economic difficulties may not happen these days as most of the women between the age group of 30 and 34 years have lived with a boyfriend and most of them are wealthy and educated as well. In a book on Cohabitation, Sharon Sassler has written that the number of times a couple dates before moving in together in essential. She has stated that girls, who are college-educated, date guys for an average of 14 months before becoming roommates, but girls who are not college educated, tend to do this within six months since the lure is irresistible. In this case, problems will of course be more in the future wedding relationships.
Living together does not seem to produce a feeling of security and it has not shown to inoculate couples from getting separated. But, it cannot be a destructive force to married relationships as it was thought earlier.