The Effect of Premarital Cohabitation on Marital Stability over the Duration of Marriage

Abstract

Research has shown that premarital cohabitors who eventually marry are more likely to divorce or separate than persons who do not cohabit prior to marriage. This study investigates the possibility that the difference in marital stability between cohabitors and non-cohabitors may change with increasing duration of marriage. Using Canadian 1995 General Social Survey data, various Proportional Hazards Models were specified to compare the marital dissolution risks of cohabitors and non-cohabitors, while controlling for a set of relevant factors. Initially, it was found that both groups had virtually identical dissolution risks. However, further specification of the hazards model indicated that indeed cohabitors have a greater risk of marital dissolution than noncohabitors. Further tests to differentiate between short-and long-term unions indicated that premarital cohabitors have a greater dissolution risk in the first ten years of their union, while non-cohabitors have a greater hazard after ten years of marriage. We discuss these findings in the context of the North American based literature on cohabitation and marriage dissolution, and offer suggestions for further study.Key Words: Cohabitation, marriage, marital dissolution Ronald A. Budinski and Frank Trovato 70 RésuméPlusieurs recherches ont démontré que les couples qui cohabitent avant le mariage et qui finissent par se marier courent un risque plus élevé de divorce ou de séparation que les couples qui ne cohabitent pas avant le mariage. Cette étude examine l'hypothèse que cette différence dans la stabilité des mariages entre les couples cohabitant et les couples non-cohabitant pourrait changer suivant la durée du mariage. En s'appuyant sur les données de l'Enquête sociale générale canadienne de 1995, différents modèles de régression à effet proportionnel ont été spécifiés pour comparer les risques de dissolution des mariages dans les couples cohabitant et les couples non-cohabitant. D'autres études qui ont été menées pour déterminer s'il y avait des différences entre les unions à court terme et les unions à long terme indiquent que les couples cohabitant courent un plus grand risque de dissolution durant les dix premières années de mariage tandis que les couples non-cohabitant courent un plus grand risque après les dix premières années de mariage. Cet article explore ces résultats dans le contexte de la documentation nord-américaine sur la cohabitation et la dissolution des mariages et suggère de nouvelles avenues pour de plus amples études.

Cohabitation and Union Dissolution in Central Uganda: Differences Between Cohabitors and Non-Cohabitors

“…Consistent with studies done in other countries, for instance Ghana (Takyi, 2001) and Canada (Budinski & Trovato, 2005), one of the interesting substantive finding of this study is that having children in a marriage or union increases the cost of marital or union dissolution. A study conducted using 1993/94 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS-93) data indicated that the propensity for union dissolution declined with increasing number of children (Takyi, 2001).…”

“…The growing tolerance of cohabitation as a stage in the marriage process has made it a conventional step in the process of marriage, as has been demonstrated in the United States and sub-Saharan Africa (Budinski & Trovato, 2005;Mokomane, 2005). This argument is based on the premise that couples use cohabitation, rather than traditional engagement, as a phase to test for compatibility in a relationship, thus improving marital stability (Oppenheimer, 1988;Budinski & Trovato, 2005).…”

“…The growing tolerance of cohabitation as a stage in the marriage process has made it a conventional step in the process of marriage, as has been demonstrated in the United States and sub-Saharan Africa (Budinski & Trovato, 2005;Mokomane, 2005). This argument is based on the premise that couples use cohabitation, rather than traditional engagement, as a phase to test for compatibility in a relationship, thus improving marital stability (Oppenheimer, 1988;Budinski & Trovato, 2005). However, previous research in the United States has indicated that the risk of union dissolution among cohabiting relationships is higher than it is in marriages with a traditional engagement (Thomson & Colella, 1992;Teachman, 2003;Budinski & Trovato, 2005;Phillips & Sweeney, 2005;Lichter et al, 2006;Stanley et al, 2006).…”

“…This argument is based on the premise that couples use cohabitation, rather than traditional engagement, as a phase to test for compatibility in a relationship, thus improving marital stability (Oppenheimer, 1988;Budinski & Trovato, 2005). However, previous research in the United States has indicated that the risk of union dissolution among cohabiting relationships is higher than it is in marriages with a traditional engagement (Thomson & Colella, 1992;Teachman, 2003;Budinski & Trovato, 2005;Phillips & Sweeney, 2005;Lichter et al, 2006;Stanley et al, 2006). These authors suggested that cohabitees see themselves as individuals, not as couples, and are less committed to each other, thus increasing the risk of union dissolution.…”

Marital Unions and Unmarried Cohabitation in Bangkok, Thailand

“…Budinski and Trovato (2005). Results from this study show that the relationship between age and union status is different between women and men.…”