In a UPI article printed in The Evening Star back in 1987, Neil Bennett, an assistant professor of sociology at Yale University, reported that a study had identified that people living together before they get married are much more likely to get divorced than those who do not cohabitate first, according to the study.

When the researchers compared the women who had lived with their spouse before getting married to those who had not, they found the divorce rate was 80% higher among those that had cohabitated, he said.

When the researchers compared those who had lived with their spouse for three years or more before getting married to those who had lived together for a shorter period, the divorce rate was 50% higher among the longest cohabitators, he said.

Should this surprise us? If we do not value the institution of marriage before we marry, why should anyone expect us to value the institution after we marry. What’s your take on this?

Tags: divorce, marriage