Cohabitation Then and Now: Changes in Stability, Transition to Marriage, and Partner Choice

Anna Cunningham, Ohio State University

How has the meaning of cohabitation changed over time? We explore this question by comparing individuals who started first cohabitation in the 1980s with those in the 1990s. Specifically, we compare how cohabitation between the two cohorts differs in stability, in transition to marriage, in partner choice, and in comparison with the married unions. We use data from waves 1 and 3 of the National Survey of Family and Households (NSFH) and analyze union experiences of individuals aged 18 to 34 who started first cohabitation or direct marriage within three years before each interview. Our results reveal that the later cohort individuals are not significantly different from the earlier cohort in union disruption, but cohabitation for the later cohort is less likely to end in marriage compared to the earlier cohort. These results suggest that the transition to marriage has become less an alternative for cohabitors in recent years.