Dadada

Dadada

Response Paper #2 Justin Johnson
Ch.9 Family and Human Sexuality

Cohabitation refers to relationships in which two people live in the same household and share sexual, emotional, and often economic ties without being legally married. In 2003, 4.6 million “unmarried couple” households existed in the United States, with two unrelated adults of the opposite sex sharing the same household. Most people will argue that cohabitation is not the right thing to do if you not married. Even the bible says that cohabitation is a sin. I feel like people cohabit for many reasons.

For some, it’s a trial marriage for couples to try to get a feel for each other to see if that’s the person they want to be with for the rest of their lives. Some couples want to know if they have that legally bond towards one another. People also see this as being acceptable as marriage as a context for family related activities. I see cohabitation as an economic convenience.

Most couples who do live together help each other out financially because it’s already hard for one individual to survive better than two. Why have a roommate when you can have a person you love or care about splitting all the bills down the middle ( half and half). Cohabitation could be a necessity for some couples. As the number of cohabiting couples has grown, the stigma associated with this lifestyle has declined.

In addition, a number of courts have ruled that the relationship between cohabitants is not unlike that of married couples. For example, cohabitants can make legal arrangements to share their property, and one partner can sue the other for a share of the property and for support payments, should the relationship dissolve. Although some people continue to see marriage as the preferable route for organizing one’s life, a growing number of people are choosing cohabitation.