The Cohabitation Epidemic By Neil Clark Warren

Improved Essays
In this paper, I will argue that in “The Cohabitation Epidemic” Neil Clark Warren does not successfully support his conclusion stating that people should be alarmed by the current situations of cohabitation epidemic between couples (Vaughn 482). The author spent a myriad of time discrediting cohabitation between couples as not the right form of trial marriage, which to me is lost in the mix. The author begins his story by explaining the social changes that have taken place during the previous decades, indicating the adverse rise of “cohabitation partner couples/ households (Vaughn 481).” Therefore, all the psychologists who possess knowledge of working with both the married and single couples must get alarmed when such cohabitation cases are …show more content…
Therefore, I think the argument presented by the author is unsuccessful and has really drawn the readers into false dilemmas, i.e. consider the author's assertion that, "…that there are merely two alternatives to consider when there are essentially more than two"2, in this case, several other reasons (Esteve, Albert & Ron 280). Several couples are having similar sex relationships and are not permitted to get married in most states in the United States of America3. Consequently, some partners cannot afford the financial obligations that come with marriage while others have personal reasons concerning having been opted just to remain cohabiting and not getting married (Vaughn 484). However, the authors state merely three reasons why couples choose to engage in trial marriage through cohabitation thus opting to delay in getting married, i.e., due to abundant lust in the society, observing several marriages getting broken make it seem precarious to some people and finally, due to lost confidence in precisely judging durable marriages. Notably, I consider that the author has left out several reasons or possibilities that usually make couples to cohabitate without getting …show more content…
The truth is that the rates at which people divorce has declined tremendously for the last two decades. However, the contentious nature of how the media have portrayed marriage is what worries young adults today keeping them away from getting married. The ways through the media have been depicting marriage indeed affect the perception of several young adults concerning marriage, for example, when the media are displaying unhappy images regarding domestic violence (Esteve, Albert & Ron 260). That images bring to the attention of several young adults shifting their beliefs and perceptions about marriage. Another reason for cohabitation preference to marriage is due to the changing roles of men in their places of work. For example, men have changed to become the primary provider over the last four decades worldwide. However, due to the fallen in wages, men have been less likely to get a college degree as compared to women, thus making them explore various marriage alternatives which cohabitation is one of

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    The New Mating Market, we see divorce as a major killer in every aspect of life; finances are affected, children are emotionally torn, social lives are left on the fence, and family members are in limbo. Porter informs the audience “Marriage is also a form of insurance. Families with two sources of income are more financially secure than one and are thus more willing to take financial risks”(268). Aside from the lovely…

    • 727 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Back in the 60's, marriage was more for financial and a person's dependency on the other. Data shows that modern day America is different. Today, most Americans now believe on waiting for a soulmate to come around, fall in love and then marry. Though, most American individual's standards are so high that statistics shows that they might never be reached by an individual. As evidence have been collected on the decline of marriages, people are acting to save the idea and the meaning of it.…

    • 1027 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    For Better, For Worse Stephanie Coontz wrote in the article “For better, For Worse: Marriage Means Something Different Now”, that marriage has changed recently, the values are not the same as they were in the 1960’s. When marriage was a status symbol only in the 1960’s, there were fewer problems. Because of changes to divorce laws, it is now easier to divorce than ever before, changing family dynamics as well as society. I believe that if a person makes a life long commitment, they should be held to their commitment, as they did in the 1960’s.…

    • 339 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Ron L. Deal also writes in this book that cohabitation increases the chances of divorce. A study by Brown, Sanchez, Nock and Wright (2006) indicates that it has no effects on marital quality. They stretched out former exploration on the relationship between premarital cohabitation and marital results by researching whether contract marriage, which involves more stringent necessities for separation, minimizes the harmful impacts of cohabitation on consequent marital quality and soundness. Utilizing a one of a kind longitudinal information set of agreement and standard love bird couples in Louisiana, they found that pledge marriage does not change the impacts of premarital cohabitation on marital precariousness, joy, reliance, or separation for…

    • 162 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    For example, “Between 1950 and 2011, according to calculations by the University of Maryland sociologist Philip Cohen, the marriage rate fell from 90 marriage a year per 1,000 unmarried women to 31, stunning 66 percent decline”. These results show the decline in marriage of the years. To show information showing another change is “Today the average age of first marriages is almost 27 for women an 29 for men, and the range of age at first marriage is much more spread out”. This here showed the change of age of marriage and shows how marriage is not the center point of life…

    • 820 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    David Popenoe

    • 544 Words
    • 3 Pages

    David Popenoe and Barbara Dafoe Whitehead’s article “The State of our Unions” discusses data on marriage and divorce. It suggests that there is a cultural shift happening in America by using this information for support. In the data driven article, Popenoe and Whitehead claim that marriage rates are declining and, despite divorce rates being quite high, they are also on a steady decline. Alternatively, more people are participating in unmarried cohabitation before and in place of marriage.…

    • 544 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Three Oral Interviews

    • 837 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Domestic Revolutions said, “The trend toward postponing marriage, combined with increased rates of college attendance and divorce, meant that…

    • 837 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Meg Jay, a clinical psychologist, argues in her article “The Downside of Living Together” that couples can increase their chances of making mistakes by moving in together. She also mentioned that couples who cohabited have greater possibility of divorcing and creating unhappiness. Although Jay’s paper had a great organization and she strongly argues her points about cohabitated by providing facts and sample which happens to be her client, were unrepresentative, weak and illogical. The author used her client Jennifer as an example to show that cohabitation is not a good choice for couples.…

    • 698 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    I believe that out of the three dimensions of sexuality the video “What you don’t know about marriage” addresses the psychological dimension. The video describes aspects, feelings, and experiences that we may feel that contribute to the success and failure of marriages. In the video Jenna McCarthy describes how certain behaviors and actions, such as men doing household chores, contribute to the wives becoming more attracted to their husbands, creating a chain reaction. Where the husband attracts the wife, the wife is more open to providing more sex, more sex satisfies the husband and is genuinely nicer and appreciative-like towards the wife, the wife is happy towards the attitude, and the relationship all together sustains to be a happier…

    • 813 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    “Blacks are more likely to get divorced because, first they are poorer, and poverty strains marriages…” -Andrew Cherlin. During the past half century, African-Americans have become the most unmarried people in our nation. A substantial amount of evidence through using extensive research has shown that the decreasing rate for African-American marriages is an issue that is widespread throughout the country, although this particular topic isn 't the main precedence throughout society it still affects the lives of many African-Americans. African-Americans have always been considered the race that is least likely to marry and most likely to divorce nevertheless within the past 50 years, data shows the number of marriages within African-Americans…

    • 1553 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In “Ready For Marriage Apocalypse?” Carol Costello explaines that culturals attitudes toward traditional marriage are drifting away as many Americans millennial questions whether marriage is for them. As many young Americans were raised in environments of credit debt, student loans and marriage separation. In that fact the millennial generation prioritizes in their careers and travel. Many of them strongly belief staying single becomes more socially acceptable.…

    • 708 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Traditionally, family may be defined as a group of people linked directly by blood relations, wherein the adults take responsibility for their young ones (Giddens, 2001, p.433). However, there has been no legitimate agreement on an exact definition. What is clearer is the definition of family structure. Family structure (what a family consists of) is an integral variable in the constitution of a society. The British society specifically, has been witness to a variety of family structures that have resulted from changes and trends that have occurred in the economy, the political policies and other such disciplines of social sciences.…

    • 1785 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Family Introduction Paper Traditionally, family is defined by the title and relationship of the ancestry. However the modern day definition has evolved to include anyone with an intimate and or both vital connections to the relationship.…

    • 1231 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Influence Of Polygamy

    • 762 Words
    • 4 Pages

    This paper will investigate the claims against polygamy, and argue that polygamy should be legalized in order to prevent abuse from secrecy, welfare fraud, and give the right to families to decide on their structure in the United…

    • 762 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Some statistics say a couple who does not live together before getting married has a 20 percent chance of being divorced within five years. Couples living together prior to marriage increase to 49 percent. Realistically though, more people practice cohabitation, the percentage may be higher for the people who separate instead of getting a divorce, and may skew the statistics. If the couple chooses to live together as an alternative to being married like the statistics show that the relationship will break up within five years is 49 percent (Redmond, “Divorce Statistics…”). In 1995 premarital cohabitation became the normal thing to do.…

    • 1203 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays