Cohabitation Linked to Exponential Increase in Relationship Failure Risk

Dr. Pamela J. Smock has published a study in the Journal of Marriage and Family of data gathered on cohabitation in the United States and the implications of cohabitation on relationship stability. She found that the proportion of women in their late 30s who had ever cohabited had doubled in the last 15 years, from 30 to 61 percent, and that about half of couples who cohabit marry within three years. The study also revealed, however, that children born to cohabiting versus married parents have over five times the risk of experiencing their parents' separation, showing an exponential increase in relationship failure for couples currently or ever cohabiting. LifeSiteNews, NPR