A Trending Lifestyle Cohabitation - 1522 Words

A Trending Lifestyle: Cohabitation Due to the shifts in people’s lifestyles, marriage has become less central in society. The traditional precept that a couple should legalize their relationship through marriage before living together has declined these days due to the transformation of people’s attitude and thoughts towards the act of marriage. As a result, couples who are not inclined towards marriage have turned to alternate courses in their relationship. One of the most common living styles most young people have chosen is the live-in relationship or cohabitation. It raises the question of whether this lifestyle choice is more beneficial to cohabiters rather than marriage. Although it is a trending lifestyle, the issue is still a social controversy nowadays. Although marriage has been a central factor and gives meaning to human lives, the change in people’s lifestyles and behaviors through a long period of social development has resulted in alternate choices such as being single or nonmarital living. As a result, cohabitation has become more popular as a trendy life choice for young people. The majority of couples choose cohabitation as a precursor to marriage to gain a better understanding of each other. However, there are exceptions, such as where Thornton, Azinn, and Xie have noted: â€Å"In fact, the couple may simply slide or drift from single into the sharing of living quarters with little explicit discussion or decision-making. This sliding into cohabitation without