Couples have the right, over the age of 18, to cohabitate before marriage. Logistically speaking, cohabitating before marriage can lower the national average for divorce by creating a more developed relationship and understanding for each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
Cohabitating couples taking premarital education courses or counseling are not at a higher risk for divorce. In fact, 60 percent of cohabitating couples will not get married because they either choose to remain living together, or they simply separate. One should view this as a viable method because the needs and preferences of each change over time, and getting married young because you want to simply live together is injudicious.
Living with a significant other unveils many layers of each other’s personalities in a natural setting. Many of their strengths and weaknesses are brought to light and each has to decide if that is who they want to commit their life to, or not. If a couple is to choose to go their separate ways, there is far less, if at all any, legalities to attend to. Couples need to decide on cohabitating for life (marriage) or not before kids are in the picture. Cohabitating before marriage will allow them an easier way of finding the answer to compatibility.
Christina Parmar, St. George