Cohabitation

Divorce Predictor #14: You are a female serial cohabitator.

Published on: May 31, 2010 | On behalf of Arnold & Smith, PLLC

Women who have lived with more than one partner before their first marriage are 40 percent more likely to get divorced than women who have never cohabitated prior to marriage. Although cohabitation seems like good practice for married life, it can tend to make living together during marriage seem less permanent. According to the Brown University Population and Training Center, a marriage preceded by cohabitation has a better chance of success when the couple became officially engaged prior to moving in together.

Divorce Predictor #8: You live in Wayne County, Indiana.

Published on: May 13, 2010 | On behalf of Arnold & Smith, PLLC

Wayne County is a rural county on the Indiana and Ohio border that leads the nation in annual percentage of divorced residents. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2008 report, 19.2 percent of marriages in Wayne County end in divorce. Monoe County in Florida, which includes the Florida Keys, takes second place in the nation with an 18% divorce rate.

Living Together Before Marriage Doesn’t Mean Divorce

Published on: March 12, 2010 | On behalf of Arnold & Smith, PLLC

As reported by the New York Daily News, living together before marriage doesn’t significantly raise likelihood of divorce. A new report from the National Center for Health Statistics, based on the National Survey of Family Growth, indicates that living together before marriage doesn’t necessarily increase the risk of divorce. However, those who get engaged or married before cohabitating are still slightly more likely to stay together.

Although traditional beliefs and past studies posit the importance of waiting to cohabitate, this new study indicates that approximately 55% of couples who cohabitate before marriage last for an entire decade of marriage. Conversely, 65% of couples who waited to cohabitate until they were engaged or married lasted for 10 years.

However, the authors of the study stress that its not cohabitation that is key – it’s the nature of the commitment. Couples who choose to cohabitate either premaritally or postmaritally are most likely to make it last when they enter into cohabitation with a clear vision for their committed future together.