Remember when you were young and your parent's way of discussing sex was the birds and bees? I particularly remember my mother repeating the phrase, " Boys won't buy the cow if you give the milk away for free." Now after decades, mother's advice is proven wrong according to modern economists.
Years ago, cohabitation would have sent our mothers to an early grave: now it's becoming a social norm. The number of unmarried couples between the ages of 18-30 living together has been steadily inclining while the number of marriages within the same age group has been declining: a trend economists credit to the recent recession.
The average person in America earns $46,000 or less in a year. When you consider that the average wedding costs approximately $20,000 (and thats without the fireworks or doves) that's nearly half of your yearly salary. YIKES!
"For many American young people, cohabitation is a low-cost, no-hassle alternative to marriage," according to The Washington Times. Young couples aren't as financially secure and society pressures them to have a big, expensive wedding. Also, with the divorce rate being nearly 50 percent it is wise for couples to "test" the relationship prior to marriage. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/nov/20/cohabitation-nation/
But, if you’re still not convinced to give “your milk away” for free consider this: “The odds of a divorce among women who married their only cohabitating partner were 28 percent lower than among women who never cohabitated before marriage," according to Dr. Daniel Lichtner, sociologist at Cornell University Ithaca, New York. Yes, that’s right: going down the moral path and not cohabitating is 28 percent more likely to lead you to divorce. (http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-07-28-cohabitation-research_N.htm)
Years ago, cohabitation would have sent our mothers to an early grave: now it's becoming a social norm. The number of unmarried couples between the ages of 18-30 living together has been steadily inclining while the number of marriages within the same age group has been declining: a trend economists credit to the recent recession.
The average person in America earns $46,000 or less in a year. When you consider that the average wedding costs approximately $20,000 (and thats without the fireworks or doves) that's nearly half of your yearly salary. YIKES!
"For many American young people, cohabitation is a low-cost, no-hassle alternative to marriage," according to The Washington Times. Young couples aren't as financially secure and society pressures them to have a big, expensive wedding. Also, with the divorce rate being nearly 50 percent it is wise for couples to "test" the relationship prior to marriage. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/nov/20/cohabitation-nation/
But, if you’re still not convinced to give “your milk away” for free consider this: “The odds of a divorce among women who married their only cohabitating partner were 28 percent lower than among women who never cohabitated before marriage," according to Dr. Daniel Lichtner, sociologist at Cornell University Ithaca, New York. Yes, that’s right: going down the moral path and not cohabitating is 28 percent more likely to lead you to divorce. (http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-07-28-cohabitation-research_N.htm)
With the cost of living rising and jobs becoming more scarce, ladies and gentlemen, why not make it easier on yourselves and let your significant others “sample your milk” so to speak? At least until they can afford to buy the whole cow.
I find this informative and amusing. Do you think cohabitation for an extended period of time (say ten years instead of three) makes people reluctant to settle down even when they can afford it?
ReplyDeleteI think you're absolutely right in saying couples now a days are living together to "test out" the waters before they go any father.
ReplyDeleteI like how you included the the lower divorce statistic. That was interesting, and I've never heard that before.
ReplyDelete