The Cohabitation Effect

"The Downside of Cohabiting Before Marriage," as discussed by Meg Jay in the Sunday, April 15, edition of The New York Times:

Couples who cohabit before marriage (and especially before an engagement or an otherwise clear commitment) tend to be less satisfied with their marriages — and more likely to divorce — than couples who do not. These negative outcomes are called the cohabitation effect. ... at least some of the risks may lie in cohabitation itself.  ... Couples bypass talking about why they want to live together and what it will mean. ... Cohabitation is loaded with setup and switching costs.

The opinion piece is mostly descriptive based on Ms. Jay's clinical research and various published studies on the subject, including one in March by the Department of Health and Human Services.  She sketches a few suggestions to avoid the prevailing negative outcomes.

I took up the subject of marriage in the United States in two previous blog posts (on Feb. 22 and on Feb. 28).