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In 2005, the Census Bureau reported 4.85 million cohabiting couples, up more than ten times from 1960, when there were 439,000 such couples. The 2002 National Survey of Family Growth found that more than half of all women aged 15 to 44 have lived with an unmarried partner, and that 65% of American couples who did cohabit got married within 5 years.
[28] Couples who have plans to marry before moving in together or who are engaged before cohabiting typically marry within two years of living together. [31] The state of cohabitation of a couple often ends either in marriage or in break-up; according to a 1996 study about 10% of cohabiting unions remained in this state more than five years. [24]
More couples chose cohabitation before (or instead of) marriage. [28] For many members of Generation X, cohabitation is considered to be like a "trial marriage" or even a commitment similar to marriage with some seeing little distinction between living together and being married. [2]: 174–176
A cohabitation agreement is a form of legal agreement reached between a couple who have chosen to live together (whether they are heterosexual or homosexual).In some ways, such a couple may be treated like a married couple, such as when applying for a mortgage or working out child support.
Part of the issue is that in many western countries, married couples will have cohabited before marrying so that the stability of the resulting marriage might be attributable to the cohabitation having worked. A chief executive of an organisation that studies relationships are quoted for having said:
The term "Living together as husband and wife" was introduced from 4 April 1977 to mean the same as "cohabiting with a man as his wife" which was used before that date. [21] The term is now "living together as a married couple". [1] To be regarded as "living together as a married couple" or cohabitating, there are various questions to consider.
In Scotland, common-law marriage does not exist, although there was a type of irregular marriage called 'marriage by cohabitation with habit and repute' which could apply to couples in special circumstances until 2006, and was abolished by the Family Law (Scotland) Act 2006 (irregular marriages established before 4 May 2006 are recognised).
Concubinage and marriage are often regarded as similar but mutually exclusive. [2] In the past, a couple may not have been able to marry because of differences in social class, ethnicity or religion, [2] or a man might want to avoid the legal and financial complications of marriage. [2]