Our Blogs

Its critics have argued that it weakens the institutions of marriage and family, religious figureheads maintain that couples that do it are living in sin and right-wing think tanks claimed that it’s more harmful to children than divorce. Now, though, the results of a study conducted by the Office of National Statistics have indicated that couples that cohabit before marrying are more likely to enjoy a long and successful union.

The study’s authors suggested that whilst the majority of cohabiting couples will separate, it also provides couples with an opportunity to gauge their suitability and that those who chose to marry after having lived together will be less likely to divorce.

The study also revealed that the number of couples that are choosing to share a home before marriage has grown consistently since the early eighties – a trend which no doubt stems from the growth of liberal attitudes regarding cohabitation – with all under 35s now far more likely to share a property than live together as man and wife. Couples were far more likely to have exchanged vows by the time they hit 40, however.

It would appear, then, that cohabitation before marriage is a good idea. A couple cannot possibly know if they are well-suited to one another until they have lived together, after all, and cohabiting will provide the couple with an opportunity to assess their compatibility before deciding whether or not to walk down the aisle.

As the aforementioned research has shown this ‘acid test’ should result in more stable marriages and a lower divorce rate. Sounds great, doesn’t it? Well… there are a few drawbacks. A spouse that divorces their partner is entitled to a share of the marital assets. Despite recommendations which have been put forward by legal professionals, however, cohabiting couples do not enjoy similar legal rights. Couples can obtain cohabitation agreements in the hope of negating this problem, but – akin to prenuptial agreements – there is no guarantee that such an agreement will prove to be legally binding.

Additionally, whilst 25% of all children in the UK are born to cohabiting parents, it may be better for couples to marry before having children. A recent report from the Jubilee Centre revealed that 37% of cohabiting couples would separate before their first child’s fifth birthday whereas only 6% of couples who were married before the birth of their first child had separated within the same period.

Additionally, 66% of couples that were living together had separated before their child reached 16 compared with 16% of married couples.