Report casts doubt on link between cohabitation and divorce

A recent report from America has cast doubt on the previously reported association between premarital cohabitation and an increased risk of divorce.

Arielle Kuperberg, a sociologist at UNC-Greensboro, claims that previous studies have over-stated the divorce risk from premarital cohabitation by ignoring how old the individuals are when they move in together.

According to her research, the age when people move in together is a much more important factor than whether or not they have taken out a marriage license.

She found that people who enter into marriage or cohabitation at a young age, and in particular before the age of 23, run a much greater risk of their relationship ending in divorce.

The briefing report was presented to the Council on Contemporary Families and attracted a number of commentaries.

Cornell University sociologist Sharon Sassler agreed that it is wrong to claim that premarital cohabitation causes divorce,  but she suggests that “Perhaps more important is how long one is involved with a romantic partner before moving in together.”

Sassler has new research to be published shortly, which apparently shows that individuals without a college degree tend to move in together in less than half the time that college-educated couples take to make such a decision, probably because of their greater financial need to split living expenses.

However, this gives them less time to get to know their partner, making it more possible that they will end up in a bad match that will not stand the test of time.

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