Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Aug 17
Pew Finds 75% of Americans Cohabit by Early 40s as U.S. Marriage Rates Fall
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Aug 17

Pew Finds 75% of Americans Cohabit by Early 40s as U.S. Marriage Rates Fall

2 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Aug 17

Summary

  • More than three-quarters of Americans born between 1980 and 1984 had lived with an unmarried romantic partner by ages 38 to 43, Pew Research Center found.
  • More than a third had cohabited with two or more partners, underscoring how common nonmarital living arrangements have become by midlife.
  • About two-thirds of couples who lived together eventually married, and that share rose to 77% among people with at least a bachelor's degree.
  • The findings draw on Bureau of Labor Statistics interviews with nearly 9,000 participants and add to evidence of a long-running decline in U.S. marriage rates.

Insights

If education predicts marriage success after moving in together, are modern relationships driven more by romance or economic survival?
Since most couples now live together before marriage, does this modern trial period actually help prevent future divorces?