Factors that Contribute to the Increased Likelihood that Cohabitation Before Marriage Results In Divorce

Factors that Contribute to the Increased Likelihood that Cohabitation Before Marriage Results In Divorce

One of the most common assumptions regarding marriage is that cohabitating before marriage is beneficial for a successful marriage. However, this is not the case; in fact, research has shown that a larger percentage of couples who lived together before marriage end up getting divorced. As such, cohabitation has been used as a predictor of divorce in couples. Accordingly, three main theories are used to explain the factors of cohabitation that cause the worst outcomes later on.

The first theory is the theory of selection, which argues that various factors like economic status, family history, religiousness, and traditionalism are directly associated with how a marriage ends, irrespective of the cohabitating experience (Stanley & Rhoads, 2018). These factors involve questions like when, with whom, and why. The selection theory explains that individuals who cohabitate due to risky situations like economic instability or other pressures like religion place their marriage at greater risk of falling apart. The second theory is based on the idea that the experience of cohabitating changes things. Research shows that when people cohabitate, their attitudes about marriage and divorce start to change in a way that they lower their confidence in marriage, and their acceptance of divorce starts to increase (Stanley & Rhoads, 2018). This then is made true because attitudes have been shown to cohere with one’s behavior.

The last theory is the theory of inertia (Stanley & Rhoads, 2018). The theory postulates that some couples would not have ended up married if they did not cohabitate. This is because cohabitation creates greater inertia that favors the continuance of a relationship than dating does. Further, cohabitation only increases the constraints of sticking with the relationship, for example, sharing pets, leasing a house, and pregnancy (Stanley, Rhoades & Markman, 2006). Considering all these factors, it is true that cohabitating increases the risk of a couple getting divorced later on.

References

Stanley, S. M., & Rhoads, G. (2018). Premarital cohabitation is still associated with greater odds of divorce. Institute for Family Studies. https://ifstudies.org/blog/premarital-cohabitation-is-still-associated-with-greater-odds-of-divorce

Stanley, S. M., Rhoades, G. K., & Markman, H. J. (2006). Sliding versus deciding: Inertia and the premarital cohabitation effect. Family Relations, 55(4), 499-509.

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When people cohabitate and later get married, they are more likely to get divorced than those who do not cohabitate.

What are the most significant selection factors and experiential factors that lead to this statistic being true?