HDFS 284 Chapter 6 NIU

Characteristics of Cohabiters

~Cohabiters are younger, less educated, earn less income, and are likely to have relatively permissive attitudes toward sex. ~Nonhispanic whites have a slightly higher rate of cohabitation than African Americans and Hispanics. ~About 75% of cohabiters are younger than 45, though the proportion of middle-aged cohabiters has increased over the past two decades.

A Closer Look at Diversity

~The meaning of cohabitation varies along racial and ethnic lines. ~Puerto Ricans have a long history of consensual marriages. ~Exposure to other cultural systems changes norms of cohabitation acceptance.

Why do People Cohabit?

~As a prelude to marriage ~As an alternative to marriage ~As an alternative to being single

Cohousing

~Co-housing started in Denmark and spread to the United States in the early 1980s. ~Cohousing complexes typically provide private areas with communal kitchens and often have community gardens.

Cohabiting

~Cohabitation remains illegal in a handful of states. ~Cohabitation means different things to different people, but it is very much a family status, though one in which the levels of certainty about commitment are less than in marriage.

Coshousing and Family Life

~Cohabitation: Unmarried couples living together ~One of the most important changes in family life in the past 40 years ~By 2013, an estimated 65 percent of women aged 19 to 44 had cohabited—up from 33 percent in 1987. ~This trend is expected to increase

The Cohabiting Relationship

~Cohabiters are less homogamous than marrieds and are twice as likely as marrieds to be interracial. ~For a variety of reasons, cohabiting relationships are relatively short-term. ~Relationship quality of "long-term" cohabiting couples (together for at least 4 years) differ little from marrieds in conflict levels, amount of interaction, or relationship satisfaction ~For both marrieds and long-term cohabiters, relationship satisfaction declines with the addition of children to the household.

Group or Communal Living

~Communes: Situations or places characterized by group living "Accordion" families provide economic and emotional/social functions. ~Communal living is designed to provide enhanced opportunities for social support and companionship. ~Financial considerations and the desire for companionship encourage romantically involved singles to share households.

Social and Cultural Changes

~Emerging adulthood: People spend more time in higher education or exploring career options than in the past. ~It is now widely accepted that young people will have sexual intercourse before marriage. ~As American culture gives greater weight to autonomy, many find that singlehood is more desirable than marriage. ~Being unmarried has become an acceptable option, rather than the deviant lifestyle that it was once thought to be. ~Cohabitation is emerging as a socially accepted alternative to marriage. ~Getting married is no longer the only way to gain adult status. ~Marriage has become less strongly defined as permanent.

Demographic, Economic, and Technological Changes Cont...

~Expanded educational and career options for college-educated women have led many to postpone marriage. ~Middle-aged, divorced women with careers tend to view marriage as a bad bargain once they have gained financial and sexual independence. ~The fact that many men's earning potential has declined, relative to women's, may make marriage less attractive to both genders. ~Growing economic disadvantage and uncertainty make marriage less available to many who might want to marry but feel they can't financially afford it. ~With effective contraception, sexual relationships outside marriage, without great risk of unwanted pregnancy, became possible. ~New conception technologies offer the possibility for planned pregnancy to unpartnered heterosexual women as well as same-sex couples.

Maintaining Supportive Social Networks and Life Satisfaction

~For singles, it's important to develop and maintain supportive social networks of friends and family. ~Single people place high value on friendships, and they are also major contributors to community services and volunteer work. ~Life satisfaction is associated with income as well as marital status. ~People in secure interpersonal heterosexual or same-sex relationships, and those who socialize often with friends and family, are happier than those who spend considerable time alone. ~Living arrangements of unmarrieds form a continuum of social attachment; not all singles are socially unattached or isolated. ~Living alone can be lonesome. However, it does not necessarily imply a lack of social integration or meaningful connections with others. ~A crucial part of one's support network involves valued friendships.

Reasons for More Unmarrieds

~In 1970, fewer than 28% of U.S. adults were single; today, there are as many singles as married people. ~This change is due to a growing proportion of widowed elderly, a high divorce rate, young adults postponing marriage, along with a growing incidence of cohabitation. ~Major reasons for more unmarrieds are due to several social factors: demographic, economic, technological, social, and cultural.

Children's Outcomes

~Instability with cohabitation (intermittent cohabitation) is related to problematic outcomes for children. ~Cohabiting parents spend less on their children's education than do marrieds. ~Adolescents are more likely to experience earlier premarital intercourse, higher rates of school suspension, and antisocial and delinquent behaviors. ~Compared to single-parent homes, children do benefit economically.

Singles: Their Various Living Arrangements/ Living Alone

~Living Alone ~Living Apart Together ~Living with Parents ~Group or Communal Living ~Individuals living alone make up over one-quarter of U.S. households—up from 8% in 1940. ~The likelihood of living alone increases with age in all racial/ethnic groups and is markedly higher for older women than for older men.

Living Apart Together

~Living apart together (LAT): A couple is engaged in a long-term relationship but each partner maintains a separate dwelling. ~Difficult to ascertain number of these relationships, but it is clearly emerging in the U.S.

What Does It Mean to Be Single?

~Many college students think of "being single" as not being in a romantic relationship. ~Some believe that "being single" means to have never been married. ~To the U.S. Census Bureau, single simply means unmarried.

Cohabitating Parents and Outcomes for Children

~More than half of all nonmarital births occur to cohabiting mothers. ~In 2015, 39% of cohabiting heterosexual households contain children under age 18. ~Having a child while cohabiting does not necessarily increase a couple's odds of staying together, but conceiving a child during cohabitation and then marrying before the baby is born does increase union stability.

As We Make Choices: Some Things to Know about the Legal Side of Living Together

~Property ~Insurance ~Wills and Living Trusts ~Health Care Decision Making ~Children ~Breaking Up ~Domestic Partners ~Residence ~Bank Accounts ~Power of Attorney for Finances ~Credit Cards

Cohabitation: 4 Stage process

~Stage 1: Vast majority of heterosexuals marry without cohabiting first. ~Stage 2: More people cohabit, but mainly as a form of courtship before marriage. ~Stage 3: Cohabiting becomes a socially acceptable alternative to marriage. ~Stage 4: Cohabitation and marriage become virtually indistinguishable. Social scientists believe the U.S. is currently transitioning from stage 2 to stage 3.

Living with Parents

~The percentage of young adults living at home has increased dramatically since 2000. ~Reasons are both cultural and economic. ~Boomerangers—adult children who had previously left home but then returned. ~About 25% of boomerangers report the situation is bad for their relationship with their parents; 25% say it is good; 50% say it has not affected their relationship. ~About 60% of parents have positive things to say about their adult children moving back home. ~Some believe young people have been "coddled" and are unprepared for life as independent adults. Others cite the trend of "emerging adulthood" as a prime reason. ~Today's parents may expect to serve as "collaborators" in their children's transition to adulthood. ~However, conflict between parents and adult children can be an issue.

Demographic, Economic, and Technological Changes

~The sex ratio (number of men to women in a given society or subgroup) influences marital options and singlehood. ~Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, the United States had more men than women. ~Today this is reversed due to changes in immigration patterns and greater improvement in women's health. ~In 1910 there were nearly 106 men for every 100 women. In 2012, there were about 96 men for every 100 women. ~Beginning with middle-age, there are increasingly fewer men than women. ~Sex ratio differs somewhat for various racial/ethnic categories.

Cohabiting Same-Sex Couples

~There are about 800,000 same-sex couple households in the U.S. Nearly one-fifth have children. ~Twice as many female same-sex couples as male same-sex couples have children. ~About 80,000 same-sex couples are in civil unions or registered as domestic partners. ~Today, between 55-60% of Americans favor legal marriage for same-sex couples.