In the last couple of decades there has been a dramatic change in family values and beliefs, which has created many alternatives to the conventional marriage and traditional family form. It used to be considered a disgrace not to marry, but now society seems to value independence instead of marriage, individual freedom over collective interests, and personal pleasure instead of nurturance. The vast majority of Americans still marries, have children, live in single-family households, and prefer permanent sexual exclusivity. But, increasingly, other life-styles are being introduced and individualism is being embraced.
             One form of lifestyle that has become rather common is the cohabiting couple, an unmarried couple living together in an intimate sexual relationship. By 1994, there were 3.7 million such cohabiting couples in the United States, an increase of about 3 million couples since 1970, when the idea was still considered new and radical. As the practice of cohabitation has become more widespread in the United States, several researchers have attempted to identify the motivations and effects of this lifestyle. Authorities on the subject have concluded that the increasing prevalence of cohabitation is the result of: more permissive sexual standards, availability of contraception, legalization of abortion, delayed marriage due to increased educational and occupational opportunities for women, increased concerns about divorce, escalating house costs, and a trend toward pluralism in life-styles (Davidson & Moore, 1992).
             Due to the overwhelming research on cohabitation, studies have indicated that there is a significant link between cohabitation and marital disruption. Marriages that are preceded by living together are said to have 50 to 100% higher disruption rates than marriage without premarital cohabitation (CLASP, 1998). Cohabitors are also more likely to come from families that have experienced marital instability, and ...