The dead-tree edition of the Rapid City Journal featured a column by Dr. Val Farmer on why cohabitation is bad for marriage. I found an online copy at PineAndLakes.com.
Dr. Farmer says that while cohabitation has gone up 1,200% since 1960, there are some serious downsides to it. Here's the typical profile of who you'll be joining if you decide to cohabitate:
Studies show it is generally the poor and less educated, less religious, divorced or those growing up in a home where there has been parental divorce, no father present in the home, or high levels of marital discord.
Do these groups reflect your values, or who you want to be?
Here are some of the negatives:
About half of all cohabiting relationships in this country end within five years
Cohabiters who eventually marry have a higher divorce rate than those who do not live together before marriage.
People who cohabit have a higher risk of suicide, depression, chronic and acute illnesses, accidents and lower productivity.
Among cohabiting couples with no plans to marry, 17 percent report partner abuse. Among cohabiting couples with plans to marry, 14 percent report partner abuse. Only five percent of married couples report partner abuse.
Children are almost 20 times more likely to suffer physical or sexual abuse in these households.
With all these pros for marriage and cons for shacking up, no wonder God said marriage was the way to go.
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