Cohabitation

:This article is about a living arrangement. For the situation in governmental politics, please see Cohabitation (government).

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Cohabitation is an arrangement where two unrelated people live together, often as part of a sexual relationship.

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Traditionally in the Western World, a man and a woman who lived together without being married were socially shunned; in some jurisdictions, this was even illegal. Today, cohabitation is a common (if not a majority) pattern among younger people, especially those who desire marriage but whose financial situation temporarily precludes it. Perhaps most couples who marry have lived together beforehand, possibly before the engagement, to the point that cohabitation has become known in some circles as "college marriage."

Related Topics:
Marriage - Engagement - College

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Religions, particularly Christianity, are opposed to the idea. Cohabitation was and still is sometimes refered to as "living in sin." The difference between marriage and cohabitation from an ethical and religous standpoint is more and more difficult to define. Marriage constitutes nothing which cohabitation does not other than possibly the wedding ceremony.

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The question of exactly what marriage is, why it should be required to live with a person, and the realization that marriages often do not last has increased cohabitation. Cohabitation can be preferable because it does not legally attach one person to another for an extended period of time, is easy to establish, and can be easily dissolved if the couple no long wishes to date one another.

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However, most people are unaware that several US states legislatively forbid cohabitation among heterosexual partners. The law, though no longer enforced by the courts, has been used by various public agencies to discriminate against their employees. Some civil-rights activists believe that such use of the law is unconstitutional, and provides homosexuals with rights that are denied to heterosexuals.

Related Topics:
Heterosexual - Civil-rights - Unconstitutional - Homosexuals

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