Marriage Vs. Cohabitation

In these modern times, there is an acceptable alternative to marriage. It is cohabitation. Cohabitation is when a couple decides to commit themselves to each other and live together without being married.

There are a few advantages to cohabitation. One of them is not having the big expense of a wedding. Even a small gathering of people for a wedding can cost thousands of dollars, and by choosing to cohabitate, you can avoid that cost.

Another advantage to cohabitation is that should the relationship end, there is no big expense to get divorced. The two people involved in the relationship can choose to go their separate ways, and dissolve the relationship without involving courts and expensive lawyers, as long as both parties agree on who keeps what furniture and other personal possessions. If both parties do not agree, having the courts decide for them is still cheaper than a divorce. Not involving the courts in a breakup is also a lot less time consuming than going through a divorce, which causes less emotional turmoil because both people can end the relationship and move on with their lives in a relatively short period of time. Ending a relationship is hard enough, but getting the courts involved could drag it out for months or even years.

Along with the advantages of cohabitation, there are a few disadvantages as well. One disadvantage to cohabitation is getting a few strange looks when you tell people how long you have been together, but that you are not married. Although cohabitation is becoming more acceptable, there are still a lot of people who do not understand it. They might ask why you have not married yet, and give you a look of puzzlement when you explain that you do not want to get married.

Another disadvantage to cohabitation is not being considered family in an emergency, such as a hospital visit. If your partner were to suffer a life threatening illness or be involved in a life threatening accident, you may not be able to visit them when only family can. If your partner were to die, then all of their possessions, such as cars, property, or other personal possessions would not automatically be inherited by you. If you drive a car or live in a house where your partner were the only listed owner, their death could bring you a lot of problems that make a loss of a loved one that much harder to deal with. If your partner's family were not particularly fond of you, they may make you move out of a house that you helped pay for or give up possession of a car you helped pay for and you used for your transportation. These things would make a situation that was already hard to deal with even harder.

Although there are many advantages as well as disadvantages to cohabitation, it is becoming more and more popular. Personally, I have chosen to cohabitate with my boyfriend of eleven years simply because we cannot afford to raise two children, put both of us through college, and have a wedding all at the same time. We plan to wed one day, but for now, it is much more realistic for us to cohabitate.