10 facts on Cohabitation (if you're considering it, think again)
Much has been said about the immediate convenience (and pleasure) of moving in together. Who can argue about short term fulfillment on shared expenses on rent, groceries etc, no more lousy housemates,perfect roommate (!), the joys of playing house without the commitment. Well, not unless you have hard facts that can topple it with eternal consequences.The list is graciously provided by my ex-colleague turned youth pastor, Jon Koo:
1. Cohabitation is defined as an emotional, physical, and intellectually intimate relationship which includes a common living place and which exists without the benefit of legal, cultural, or religious sanction. (Wikipedia)
2. The average length of a cohabiting relationship that does not lead to marriage is 12 to 18 months (VanGoethem 2005:183)
3. Half of cohabiting relationships end within one year due to the couple either becoming married or separating (Seltzer 2000).
4. Within five years from the beginning of a cohabitation relationship more than half of these relationships will end even if the couple had married during that time (Seltzer 2000).
5. The risk of divorce after living together is 40 to 85% higher than the risk of divorce after not living together. In other words, those who live together before marriage are almost twice as likely to divorce as those who did not live together.
6. Cohabiting couples have an 80%+ chance that their relationship will end. (40% breakup before they marry; the other 40% divorce within 10 years of marrying.)
7. Cohabitors are not as sexually exclusive as married couples. They have a higher tendency to have more than one sex partners.
8. Four out of every 10 cohabiting couples have children present and of children born to cohabiting couples, only 4 out of 10 will see their parents marry. Those who do marry experience a 50% higher divorce rate (Horn 1998).
9. Couples who abstain from sex before marriage are likely to enjoy it after marriage as compared to cohabitors. Sexual satisfaction drops tremendously in cohabitation.
10. More women cohabit than men but men are more likely to cohabit serially (jumping from one partner to another).
What happened to COMMITMENT & SANCTITY of MARRIAGE?
posted by Sara @ 2:26 AM
5 Comments:
welcome new blogger;)
Do you mean, someone you know is 'cohabiting'?? We Christians are taught not to do that actually, so what about those who think it's okay?...For most of my friends who aren't taught of such values(not to cohabit), think that it's okay to 'cohabit'......Hmm interesting question to ponder, so what if a guy who stayed(did all kinds of stuffs)with his gf...then later became a Christian, and found out that such thing is against the policies of the church, and repented...then all of a sudden he broke up with his current gf...then in later years, found one but his past cannot be altered anymore....So...?Hehehe...ponder and see...(read Joshua Harris' Boy Meets Girl)
Hey ming,lemme guess you are i-ming hhee took me awhile to recognise u. I am back in good old penang. I didn't know you blog, well , i am way out of the loop on many things. I used to blog but stopped and now I'm back. So are you still attending penang first?
Interesting points jon,
haha I know of a few cohabitors...wow you have so many questions. Wait till I add a chatbox.
Yes i think cohabitation has to do with society as a whole which is increasingly casual about relationships. No only are we more casual with words, vows are just..words so marriage is archaic there's no meaning to marriage without commitment. And cohabitation is the invention of a casual society, a convenience with no strings attached.
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