Cohabitation In The United States

In 1994, there were 3.7 million cohabiting couples in the United States. This is a major increase from a few decades ago. (Rhoades, Stanley, and Markman 369-390) According to Dr. Galena Rhoades, "Before 1970, living together outside of marriage was uncommon, but in the late 1990s at least 50% to 60% of couples lived together premaritally."(Rhoades 369-390) Needless to say there has been a rise in the cohabitation community. Though it is still commonplace in our society, marriage’s traditional role in our society is steadily declining. Modern couples seem to be gravitating more towards cohabitation before a legal union and, sometimes, without considering the notion of marriage at all. Of course, both lifestyles have factors to consider. When …show more content…
In the United States, married couples who file a tax return may suffer something called a marriage penalty, which is a penalty, “where tax credits for low-income single earners are not applied to the combined income.”(Horn) What this means is that married couples who are both working end up having to pay more in taxes than cohabitating couples. So, the closer a married couple is in their earned income, the steeper their marriage penalty. Conversely, couples living in cohabitation have the ability to file separately, sparing them of this penalty. This also means that cohabitating couples may qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit, which is, in essence, a cash well-fare for low-income workers. In a sense, the EITC is paying for low-income cohabits not to marry. However, marriage may still be financially beneficial if there is a substantial gap in income between the partners. If this is true, then the couple will be placed into a lower tax bracket. In addition to this, when claiming a dependent, a married couple gets to file jointly and both reap the benefits of having children. In the case of cohabiting couples, however, this option is not present. They will have to choose which one of them will claim a child or children as a dependent(s). Unlike married couples, however, one partner of a cohabiting couple may take up the role as the sole provider and claim the other …show more content…
Christian churches, and the Roman Catholic Church in particular, look down upon cohabitation. They see it as a sin of fornication, and against the teaching of Jesus Christ. Islam, one of the fastest growing religions in the world, also demonize cohabitation and its implication of premarital sex. However, The Anglican church welcomes cohabiting couples in the Church and encourages them to regard cohabitation as a curtain-raiser to Christian marriage, regardless of its implications. In reality, it all depends on the couples’ personal beliefs and how they subscribe to those