Cohabitation: The Downfall of Relationships

Monica Chun

Professor Wells

English 1101

27 September 2009

Cohabitation: The Downfall of Relationships

Over the years there has been a shift in the general outlook towards marriage and commitment. This has had a large effect on the current state of individuals in the social system. It is generally accepted that couples between the ages of 18 and 30, that cohabitate, have a weaker foundation compared to their married counterparts (Anonymous). Many people, that cohabitate, think they are saving themselves the hardship of finding out things about the other too late. However, most come to find out that they are not right for each other anyways, thus more problems are created within either the relationship or the difficult situation. These problems consist of: more cases of violence within the home, higher rates of divorce, and instabilities within family relations.

Over the years, more and more cases of partner abuse and violence have surfaced in cohabitating couples.

Marriage

Marriage Day

Couple married in a shinto ceremony in Takayama, G...

As stated by Stanton, the overall rate of violence among cohabiting couples is double the rate of their married counterparts. This violence is due to issues such as sexual jealousy, social and financial costs, and partners not spending the time to develop strategies to deal with their day to day conflicts together. Data taken by Yllo and Straus indicates that cohabitating women are not just the victims of high rates of violence but also are more likely quite violent to their partners as well (Utech 135-138). Due to the lower levels of expectations that support sexual exclusivity in cohabitating partnerships lead to raised senses of sexual jealously, thus, causing a higher risk of violence among cohabitating men against their partners. The struggle to live as a young couple with unstable jobs and a low income often causes...