After Reading about Cohabitation

This website introduces a book: Unmarried to each other. It is known that there are more and more couples or partners living together without getting married. This phenomenon is more and more common now than the past. In the book, it describes some facts and discusses some questions and problems that people wonder about and would like to solve. Moreover, it provides some tips or tools for people whether it is in law, finance, having children in the coming years, etc. if they would like to keep the relationship of cohabitation or would consider living together and remaining unmarried. Also, it provides some suggestions from the real samples. Indeed, this book is packed with a lot of information about the joys and common challenges to love without getting married. In addition to the introduction of the book, there are some useful guides provided for those living together as unmarried couples from the news and other related online readings.



This book is discussing the problem of the relationship of cohabitation. It starts from why couples live together without getting married. Also, how to introduce or name each other, how to tell the children the relationship, whom the children will belong to in the future and so forth are mentioned in the book as well.

I would like to share my opinions about cohabitation. I personally agree with living together without getting married for a short term only, i.e. no longer than half year if they are sure they will be married in the coming years and this short period of cohabiting time can be seen as a kind of accommodative time. However, if those who live together hold the concept of “testing marriage,” I don’t agree with cohabitation and I don’t think that is suitable. The most important thing is that cohabitation can neither guarantee nor protect the affectional relationship. For instance, the reason unmarried couples live together is solely because of love at the moment; however, nobody knows if they will break up with each other at the next moment after a dramatic argument. Thus, it is irresponsible for the couples toward dealing with their affection.

Based on the traditional concept, couples live together only if they are married. Also, according to the terms of the law, it also says that to protect the marriage, the right and obligation for couples is to take the full responsibility of their marriage and affection. Cohabitating couples can abandon their affection anytime so nobody will be protected without the law. For instance, in the past, couples without getting married seldom lived together, and the percentage of divorce was not a high proportion. However, more and more couples live together now and the percentage of divorce is getting higher and higher. This also expresses that more and more couples would rather try “trial marriage” or cohabitation to see if they are Mr./ Mrs. right for each other so that the percentage of divorce is increasing. It proves that cohabitation will not only cause the sense of irresponsibility easily but also be helpless for maintaining the affectional relationship.

To sum up, I agree with cohabitation only based on the fact that the couples will get married in the future and they have to live together inevitably because of some reasons for a short period of time. However, I would not agree with cohabitation if they are only trying to “testing marriage.”