The Pros And Cons Of Cohabitation

Over the past few decades, the American family has experienced a variety of societal changes that has shaken our once common understanding of family to its core and, in its place, has implanted new features into the picture. One of these new, major features is cohabitation and it seems it is here to stay for the foreseeable future, though it does have marked pros and cons. Cohabitation was once fairly taboo and frowned upon in American society, particularly during the 18th and 19th centuries, as marriage was unquestioned as the only viable union. Additionally, society placed high value on the solidarity of nuclear families with each family member having an inward focus towards the benefit of their family unit. Gender roles were quite stringent,

Some couples use cohabitation as an alternative to marriage and this tends to vary by individual needs and characteristics. They believe that, with greater cultural approval and better institutional support for children raised out of wedlock, cohabitation should become more prevalent, should last longer, and transition into marriage less frequently than it does with couples who use it as a prelude to marriage or a stage in the marriage process. Another attitude toward cohabitation is simply that the couple views it as indistinguishable from marriage. In contrast to the other versions, these couples will be indifferent to marriage due to the general acceptance of cohabitation and institutional support for their lifestyle. Lastly, it also serves as an alternative to being single amongst younger adults who consider themselves “too young” to marry. In this way, it tends to function more like an upgraded form of dating but also appears to retain a level of commitment that is found in dating. Thus, couples that go about cohabitation this way tend to have a higher chance of separation and do not stay together very long

These states once were Florida, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia, however, now only Michigan and Mississippi remain. One of the laws, found in Florida, dated back to 1868 and stated: “If any man and woman, not being married to each other, lewdly and lasciviously associate and cohabit together...they shall be guilty of a second degree misdemeanor.” It was recently repealed in 2016. Under such laws, cities can remove cohabitation practitioners from their neighborhoods or legally refuse a cohabiting couple the ability to rent an apartment etc. These laws are often ignored and not enforced, but up until the repeal in 2016, Floridians were regularly being charged with misdemeanors from