Cohabitate Before Marriage

Introduction In relation to current culture trends and what the world perceives to be normal, my view on marriage might seem to be old school and outdated, but I believe my mindset has statistical evidence to positively support my stance on couples waiting to live together until after the wedding takes place. This idea has been one I have perceived to be the “norm” for most people when choosing their spouse and awaiting their special day. Obviously, I have found myself to be in the minority in this decision to wait to cohabitate with a boyfriend/ girlfriend leading up until being wed. According to several research journals, waiting to live under the same roof as your loved one until the marriage is consummated has positive, long lasting …show more content…
Research shows that cohabitation is becoming increasingly more common in the United States, with unfortunate results to follow. Those who are choosing to live with their partner before they marry are having shorter, unsuccessful marriages compared to those who are waiting to live under the same roof until after the wedding. According to Cunningham, a professor in the department of sociology at Western Washington University writes, there is a direct relationship between the divorce rate in the U.S. and the number of couples who are choosing to cohabitate before their marriage begins. His research is a longitudinal study that covers two generations and confirms how cohabitation affects the entry into and exit from a marriage into divorce and the attitudes that are accompanied with these events. Basically, Cunningham’s intentions were to, “investigate how attitudes about divorce are influenced by a range of union transitions and sequences” (Cunningham & Thornton, 2006, p. 121) …show more content…
My original decision behind waiting was based solely on my faith in God and his teachings in the Bible, but has grown to a better understanding of the sociological effects of marriage and cohabitation based on scientific research and development. Making these statements relative to my future career as a social worker will be useful when dealing with the repercussions of failed marriages/ relationships and my understanding to have a broader explanation aside from my religion. I will be able to look at situations differently and have a better understanding of why certain decisions are either helpful or harmful to us as human beings, and how we operate in relation to others in loving relationships. My faith might match up with these studies in my decision to wait to live with my future husband, but that doesn 't mean each of my clients will think the same, nor make that same decision for their life. In saying this, it’s obvious that I will need to be accepting and knowledgeable in all relationships and walks of life within my field, and withhold any judgment in this process. This paper does have many opinions from myself, but it all boils down to importance of human relationships, which is one of the six core social work values. The importance of this value can be shown