In the past few decades, as divorce rates have soared to over fifty percent, couples have begun to turn to cohabitation as an alternative or "compatibility test" before they get married. Thirty years ago, living together for unmarried couples was illegal in the United States. Today, it has become an emblematic step between dating and marriage - if there is to be a marriage at all ("What happened"). Cohabitation is believed by many to decrease the probability of a divorce or break-up later in the relationship (Popenoe, and Whitehead). In spite of these beliefs though, "The chances of divorce ending a marriage preceded by cohabitation are significantly greater than for a marriage not preceded by cohabitation," according to social science evidence. The technical term for unmarried cohabitation is defined as "the status of couples that are sexual partners, not married to each other, and sharing a household" (Popenoe, and Whitehead). Today, over half of all first marriages start out with cohabitation compared to the 20th century when it was almost unheard of (Popenoe, Whitehead). One of the biggest reasons cohabitation is frowned upon by many is the fact that cohabiters have sex (Solot, and Miller 65). Although a select number of couples that cohabit choose not to sleep in the same bed, if they are living in the same house together, outsiders will most likely assume that they are sexually active (Solot, and Miller 65). In the past thirty years, studies have shown that cohabitation fails to bring couples the happiness and stability they yearn for in a close personal relationship.
In 1960, the number of unmarried couples in the United States was less than half a million - and in 1997, the statistic had risen to over four million (Popenoe, and Whitehead). So why do many couples insist on doing a "trial run" before they are legally bound? According to Joseph Champlin, author of Cohabitation Before Marriage, there are many reasons believed to have led to the overwhelming rise in cohabitation.